A Frozen Wasteland
by Cheesepuffs97
Summary: (This is my very first fic) Beginning near the end of the film, Anna is saved by a different act of true love and Elsa is fatally wounded. Arendelle stays as a frozen, wintery land and Anna flees the kingdom with Kristoff. But years later, Anna feels she needs to return to her homeland. Rated M for sexual content. (AU, Kristanna/Elsanna)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Elsa ran across the ice, shielding her eyes from the wind. She couldn't see more than a few feet in any direction. So many thoughts were running through her head that it was hard to focus on just one.

Was Anna alright? That man, Hans had told her that Anna hadn't returned form the mountains. Did that mean she was still there? Or was she….

Elsa blocked that thought out. She didn't even want to think about it. She had to escape Arendelle. After that, she had no plan. She just had to escape.

Elsa spun around and saw Hans behind her. She gasped and turned to run in the opposite direction. This was the man that had brought her back to Arendelle, even when he knew she was dangerous. "Elsa!" she heard Hans shout over the howling of the wind. "You can't run from this!" Elsa turned to face him.

"Just take care of my sister!" she told him. If she couldn't protect Anna, someone had to.

"Your sister?" Hans asked. "She returned from the mountain weak and cold! She said that you froze her heart!"

Elsa's own heart started beating so hard that she half expected it to burst through her chest. "No.." she whispered.

"I tried to save her, but it was too late! Her skin was ice, her hair turned white!" Hans went on. "Your sister is dead! Because of you!"

The realization hit Elsa like an avalanche. She already felt responsible for her parents deaths, but now Anna as well? Her legs collapsed under her and she fell to her knees, dimly aware that the howling wind and stinging snow had stopped. Elsa heard Hans unsheathe his sword, but she didn't care. It was her fault her parents had been killed, and now Anna was dead because of her.

_I deserve to die. _

Anna walked slowly across the frozen fjord, willing her body to go faster. But the ice in her heart had seeped into the rest of her body, and she found it almost impossible to go faster than a slow hobble. _I need to get to Kristoff, _she thought to herself. Using this like a mantra, she mentally punctuated every step with his name. _Kristoff, Kristoff, Kristoff._ She looked down at her hands and was shocked to see ice crystals forming on them, and just the tips of her fingers turning to ice. "No…" she whimpered. Pushing forward through the howling wind, she looked up and saw that the wind and snow had stopped, with snowflakes hanging motionless in the air around her. Shivering, she saw Kristoff a short way away from her.

"K-Kristoff!" she tried to yell. But only a quiet whisper escaped her lips. Seeing her, Kristoff started sprinting in Anna's direction. The muscles in his legs started to burn, but he didn't care. Finally reaching Anna, he held her at arm's length and looked her up and down. It pained him to see her white hair, frozen fingertips and ice forming on several parts of her body. She was shivering violently, which was making her teeth chatter so violently that Kristoff thought they might shatter. "K-K-Kristoff you h-have to kiss me!" she said, fear evident in her voice. Kristoff nodded, leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Anna's lips were so numb that she barely felt him, but she did feel the warmth that spread outward from her heart into the rest of her body. Anna looked down at her hands and saw that her fingers were no longer frozen, and, examining one of her pigtails, her hair was returning to its usual red, save for the white streak that ran through it. She smiled and looked up at Kristoff.

"It worked, Kristoff!" she exclaimed. Anna saw that Kristoff was looking behind her. Following her gaze, she saw Hans approaching Elsa with his sword drawn. With a gasp, she tore herself from Kristoff's arms and sprinted towards her sister. With a yell, she tackled Hans and knocked the sword from his hands. Sitting on his chest, Anna began throwing punches into Hans' face.

"DON'T. TOUCH. MY. SISTER!" she screamed, throwing a punch with every word. As she raised her fist again, Hans struck out as quickly as a striking snake, slugging Anna in the jaw and knocking her off him. Anna lay on the ice, momentarily disoriented. When she stood up, she saw Hans grab his sword.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Anna saw Hans raise his sword and throw it in her direction. She saw light glint off the blade as it flew toward her. Suddenly, she was shoved out of the path of the weapon. Anna heard the sound of her own body hitting the ice, a gasp, and the sound of steel piercing flesh. She looked up.

Elsa stood there with a shocked expression on her face. Everything was silent for a few seconds, until Anna spotted the hilt of Hans' sword sticking out from her stomach.

"ELSA!" Anna's scream rang out across the fjord. Elsa pulled the blade from her stomach and dropped it on the ice, collapsing next to it. Anna's vision turned red, and she could form only one clear thought.

_Kill Hans._

With a roar of fury, she picked up the sword and charged at Hans with it. Hans, standing shocked at the sight before him, snapped out of his stupor when he saw Anna running at him. As she raised the sword to bring it down on his head, an explosion of ice and snow came from Elsa's motionless form, knocking Anna off her feet and sending her several dozen feet backwards. She felt her back hit something solid, and slumped to the ground. Anna ran back toward her sister, screaming her name. Suddenly, a blizzard began, the wind roaring louder than ever. Shards of ice stung Anna's face and her arms as she struggled to shield her eyes. Struggling to reach her fallen sibling, Anna pushed through the wind, slowly inching her way forward. With a mighty howl, a strong gust of wind pushed her back further and further.

_I need to get to her! _Anna thought. Without warning, Anna felt something pull her by her collar. All of a sudden, she found herself seated on Sven's back, with Kristoff behind her, heading away from Elsa.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she screamed over the wind in her ears. "I NEED TO SAVE HER!"

Kristoff didn't stop. "ANNA, LISTEN TO ME!" he yelled. "SHE'S GONE, AND THIS BLIZZARD IS GETTING WORSE! I HAVE TO KEEP YOU SAFE!" He still didn't turn around.

"NO!" Anna screamed. "ELSAAAAAAAA!"


	2. Chapter 1

**a/n: This is my very first fic, so I am very open to suggestions and reviews from readers. You guys are awesome. **

Chapter One.

4 years later.

Anna looked out of her window at the mountains surrounding her and Kristoff's home. Snowflakes were fluttering lightly in the air, and the suns first rays were just beginning to peek over the mountain tops. She let out a sigh. She hated winter. Hated it with a burning passion. The snow, the cold air, the howling winds. It all reminded her of her sister. And whenever she thought about Elsa, even now, the pain she felt was as fresh as the day she left Arendelle. Her thoughts drifted back to that day.

"We have to go back!" Anna said. "Take me back NOW! RIGHT NOW, Kristoff!"

Anna, Kristoff and Sven were taking shelter from the blizzard in the back of Oaken's shop. The wind was blowing so hard that the entire building was creaking, and the snow had already piled up several feet deep outside. Oaken was in the corner, tending to the fire while Anna and Kristoff sat with mugs of hot chocolate.

"Anna, we can't go back. By the looks of this blizzard, it's not going to calm down anytime soon." Kristoff told her. "I need to keep you safe! And that means we need to get out of Arendelle."

Anna felt a wave of sadness wash over her. "We HAVE to go back!" Her vision started to blur as tears started to form in her eyes. "We need to save Elsa!"

Kristoff felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry Anna. But listen to me, I saw what happened. If she wasn't killed then, she would have bled out by now. I'm sorry, but she's gone."

With a cry of anguish, Anna launched herself at Kristoff, sending her mug and its contents flying in the process. "NO! Don't say that! Don't…." she stopped, and unable to form words, broke down crying. She felt Kristoff wrap his arms around her, and she buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. "It's all my fault! All of this is because of me! If I hadn't made her so angry that night, none of this would have happened!" She sobbed even harder. "And now she's…. she's…" Anna couldn't bring herself to say the word.

"It should have been me!"

Anna shook herself out the memory when she heard Kristoff stirring in the bed behind her. "Anna?" he said groggily. "What are you doing up this early?" A hint of concern was evident in his voice.

Anna turned and smiled at him. "Just thinking. Go back to-" she heard him snoring. "-sleep." She shook her head. Kristoff never had trouble falling asleep. Anna left the bedroom and surveyed their small house. They lived alone in the mountains that stood on the borders of Corona. After they had fled Arendelle, Anna had used her royal status to commission a ship from a small fishing village on the coast, and from there, had sailed to Corona. The king and queen had been all to happy to receive her, the queen, Rapunzel, being a distant relation of the Arendelle royal family (Anna couldn't remember if she was their 4th cousin 3 times removed, or 3rd cousin 4 times removed). They held a funeral service for Elsa, with an empty coffin, of course, on a quiet hillside overlooking the lake surrounding the castle.

When the issue of accommodation arose, Rapunzel was all to happy to give Anna and Kristoff their own wing in the castle. However, it was Anna who insisted that she would prefer to live alone, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And so Rapunzel had their home built up in the mountains. It was small, but Anna liked it that way. Living in a big house, or a castle would have just reminded her of her childhood, and the years she spent talking to Elsa's closed door. Rapunzel had ordered a weekly delivery of supplies to be sent to Anna and Kristoff's house, and occasionally visited with Eugene. Anna enjoyed her company, her bubbly personality being able to brighten a room in an instant. Anna, however, hadn't been the same since she left Arendelle. She was more timid, nervous and more easily frightened by things. The happy and awkward girl that she used to be had died with her sister.

Kristoff entered the room, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Morning" he said groggily. Anna went to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned up to peck him on the cheek, feeling his rough few-days-old stubble as she did.

"Good morning." she said with a smile. "You hungry?"

As if on cue, Kristoff's stomach let out a huge growl. He grinned sheepishly. "Just a little" he said.

Anna rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "I'll go get some water and make a stew, ok? You go get dressed."

Kristoff pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "Sounds good." He pulled away and looked her in the eyes. "I love you, you know that?"

Anna smiled. "Of course i do, silly." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Now go put some clothes on before you freeze."

Kristoff smirked and went back into the bedroom. Anna grabbed a cooking pot from the kitchen, put on her coat and left the house.

As she made her way to the small stream that ran by their house, Anna noticed that it had started snowing harder than before. There was already about half a foot of snow covering the ground, and the wind was starting to pick up, stinging Anna's exposed face with cold. Reaching the stream, Anna knelt down and used the pot to break through the thin layer of ice that had formed over the water. Anna filled the pot with the freezing water and turned to leave. As she stood up, she noticed someone was standing beside her. She dropped the pot in shock, splashing cold water over her feet.

Elsa stood there, with her hair in a long braid inlaid with snowflake shaped diamonds. She wore her blue ice dress, heels and a gentle smile that made Anna's heart race. She stared, speechless as Elsa raised a hand to touch Anna's face. A single tear fell from Anna's eye as Elsa's icy fingertips made contact with her cheek. 

"Anna..." she whispered. Anna's eyes closed as she reached up to touch Elsa's hand.

"Anna?" she heard Kristoff call out to her. "Are you ok?"

Anna's eyes shot open. "No... NO! NO NO NO!" she screamed, falling to her knees in the snow.

Elsa was gone.


	3. Chapter 2

i suppose i should slip a disclaimer in here. I DON'T OWN FROZEN. EVERYTHING TO DO WITH FROZEN BELONGS TO DISNEY. SHUT UP.

**a/n:**** First of all, thanks so much to WhenTrueDreamsComeAlive508 for their kind review. Its so fulfilling to receive praise this early on in the story. Also, a shoutout to ElsaStoleMyPen for their... *ahem* _Interesting _death threat regarding certain plot elements, and to Ravager Zero for their extremely helpful and insightful advice on how to proceed with certain aspects of the story. Check out their story "An arm and a leg" and buckle yourself in for a ride full of feels. Also check out my two favorite Frozen fics, "All I Saw Was You" by oikosyogurt and "The Sting of Summer's Winter" by GhostofWintersPast. Last of all, this chapter will contain Kristoff/Anna fuckmaking. Make sure you clean up your mess afterwards, you sick freaks. (Kidding. I'm just as bad.) As always, i'm open to reviews and suggestions from readers. If you have anything at all to say, message me or post a review. That's all, i swear. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the next installment of A Frozen Wasteland.  
**

Chapter 2

Anna knew she was dreaming. It was the same dream she'd had every night for the past two weeks, ever since she'd seen Elsa at the stream. She was back in Arendelle, standing on the frozen fjord watching in horror as Hans' sword flew toward her. Then came the feeling of being shoved aside, and hitting the ice. Looking up, she saw the horrible sight of the sword hilt protruding form Elsa's abdomen. Anna tried to scream, but nothing came out. She watched in horror as Elsa pulled the sword from her body with a sick, wet sliding sound, dropped it on the ice and collapsed next to it. Anna ran to her fallen sibling, cradling her in her arms.

"Elsa..." Anna whispered, reaching up to touch her sisters cheek. But a second before she made contact, Elsa's body dissolved into thin tendrils of icy mist. Anna gasped in horror and couldn't stop herself from screaming her siblings name.

"Elsa! ELSA! ELSAAA!"

* * *

Anna's eyes shot open. Her body was covered in a sheen of sweat and her chest was rising and falling rapidly, thanks to her heavy breathing. Kristoff stirred beside her.

"Wha- Anna? Are you ok?" he asked sleepily. Anna calmed her breathing and curled up against Kristoff's warm body.

"I'm ok. Just a nightmare." she said. She snuggled closer to Kristoff and tried to go back to sleep. Being this close to him made Anna feel safe, and although she had just woken from a nightmare, slightly aroused. Kristoff lightly stroked her hair. After a few minutes, he began softly humming a tune. Anna couldn't place it at first. Then she recognized it as the song that the trolls had sung about her and Kristoff.

"So he's a bit of a fixer-upper. So he's got a few flaws." Anna sang.

Kristoff smiled and joined in.

"Like his peculiar brain, dear,  
His thing with the reindeer  
That's a little outside of nature's laws.  
So he's a bit of a fixer-upper, but this we're certain of!"

Anna stopped singing and whispered seductively in her bedmate's ear,

"I'm going to fix this fixer-upper up with a little bit of love."

As she said it, her hand snuck down and grabbed his manhood through his thin bedclothes. Kristoff looked startled for a moment, but then a mischievous smile crept onto his face. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her gently at first, but as Anna rubbed his growing bulge, he grew more and more confident. Before long, he was lying on top of her, one hand wrapped around her waist and the other tangled in her red hair, his erection digging into her thigh. Kristoff grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled gently, making Anna moan into their kiss. He pulled harder, forcing her head back as he kissed and lightly bit her neck. Anna moaned loudly, the small pinpricks of pain on her scalp mixing with the pleasure from the assault on her sensitive neck.  
Kristoff moved his free hand up Anna's nightgown, gently tracing his fingertips up her thigh. When his hand passed over her womanhood, she arched her back and forced her hips up, desperate to be touched. She groaned in frustration when his hand passed her most sensitive area and continued up her body, past her stomach and up to her breasts. Without ceasing his attack on Anna's neck, Kristoff gently rolled Anna's nipple between his fingers, giving it the occasional pinch. He smirked when he did this, as Anna would give a small moan of pleasure.  
Deciding to move on, Kristoff shifted his attention from nibbling and kissing Anna's neck (she gave another groan) to unbuttoning her nightgown. Once all the buttons were undone, he took Anna's left nipple in his mouth, hearing her moan as he scraped his teeth and dragged his tongue across the sensitive flesh. Anna could feel herself becoming wet, and she couldn't stand it for another minute.

"Kristoff?" she said breathlessly.

"Mm?" he grunted, still pleasing her breasts.

She lifted his head up and look him straight in the eyes.

"Fuck me."

Not needing another invitation, Kristoff grinned and rolled over, pulling Anna with him so that she was straddling his hips. Anna pulled her nightgown over her head and threw it aside while Kristoff shimmied out of his trousers. Anna reached between their bodies and aligned the head of Kristoff's rock-hard shaft with the entrance to her dripping wet vagina. She looked down and him and bit her lip and she pushed her hips down, sighing in pleasure as his girth stretched her. Kristoff let out a moan as their pelvises touched, his cock fully sheathed inside her. Anna leaned down and kissed him deeply. Their tongues explored each others mouths, and Anna softly bit Kristoff's lip as she raised and lowered her hips again and again. Kristoff wrapped his arms around her and began thrusting up into her. Anna moaned with every thrust; Kristoff was hitting just the right spot deep inside her, and at this angle, she could grind her clit against his pelvis every time he was fully inside her. Every time she did, the pleasure within her grew, threatening to explode at any moment.

Kristoff slammed into Anna one final time, screaming her name as his seed flooded her womb. The feeling of being filled with Kristoff's semen was too much for Anna, and it finally drove her over the edge.

"KRISSSTOOFF!" she screamed. Anna's body was wracked with pleasure, waves of pure ecstasy flooding her body as she came. Her vagina muscles started spasming around her lovers cock, and her body was twitching wildly. She collapsed on top of Kristoff and rode out her orgasm.

It took Anna a few minutes to get her breathing under control, and she looked up at Kristoff. Both their bodies were shining with sweat, and they were both panting. Anna rolled off of him and snuggled up to his side.

"You know what?" Anna asked, tracing her fingers across that broad plains of his chest.

"What's that?" Kristoff said.

"You're really good at that. I mean, really REALLY good."

Kristoff looked down at her. "I wouldn't know. It's not like either of us have anything to compare it to, right? I mean, unless you and Hans-" he stopped, but the damage was done. "Oh shit, oh fuck i'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring him up. I just- oh fuck..."

Anna felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Truth be told, she thought about Hans often. But her thoughts usually involved herself plunging a sword through his heart, or bashing his face in with something.  
Sometimes, her own dark fantasies frightened her.

"It's fine." she said quietly. Not knowing how to mend the situation, she snuggled closer to Kristoff.

"I love you." she whispered.

His arm tightened around her shoulders.

"I love you too."

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit rushed, but i wanted to get something out to you guys before the weekend was over. Also, before anyone brings it up, i know there are alot of unanswered questions. Is Elsa dead or alive? What happened to Hans? And most importantly, WHERE IS OLAF?  
Rest assured, all these questions will be answered in future chapters. As always, I'm open to reviews, suggestions and advice. The next chapter should be out by Wednesday at the latest. (I'm in Australia by the way, so for American fans, thats tuesday. I think)  
This is my first fic, and as such, my first time writing smut. I hope you enjoyed it, but like said, if you have anything to say, say it! Thats what we have voices for. Or i guess fingers, in this case. Anyway, see you guys in the next chapter! **


	4. Chapter 3

**WOW! This story already has 21 followers and 7 favorites! Can you believe it? I can't. Thanks so much to each and every one of you. Remember, if you have any suggestions or ideas, let me know. Also, if you have any questions, i'll answer them if i can. (No spoilers of course.) Enjoy the third chapter of A Frozen Wasteland.**

Chapter 3

"ANNA!"

Rapunzel squealed her name in delight as she walked into Anna and Kristoff's home. The queen of Corona ran to Anna and wrapped her in a suffocating hug.

"Hello, your majesty." Anna said once she was released. She dipped into a low curtsy. "You bring me great honor, gracing my home with your presence."  
The two girls met eyes, and after a second, burst out laughing. Whenever the king and queen came to visit, they insisted that all formalities and titles be abandoned at the door. To Anna and Kristoff, they were just Rapunzel and Eugene.

"Uh, a little help please?" Eugene called. He was having trouble getting their bags through the front door. Anna let out a gasp.  
"You didn't tell me you were moving in permanently!" she said, grabbing Rapunzel and smiling. She was met with a light slap on the shoulder for her terrible joke. They both burst into another fit of giggles.

"No really i could use- AHH!" Eugene cried out as he tripped over his own feet, falling on the bags he was carrying and sending clothes everywhere. Anna rushed over to help him up.

"Sorry Eugene. Let me help you up." Anna hoisted him to his feet, and went about gathering the clothing that had fallen to the floor. Eugene bent down to help her.

"Thanks Anna. But you know how Rapunzel gets when we visit. She gets so excited that she can't sit still for more than a minute." He smirked. "I swear, she hasn't slept for days."

Anna knew that all too well. The last time they'd visited, Rapunzel had suggested a snowball fight. What happened would have been more accurately described as a snowball _war. _Anna had merely been a spectator, but Eugene and Kristoff had teamed up against Rapunzel. Both teams had snow fortresses with walls several feet high, and both had dozens of snowballs. When the battle was over, Rapunzel had somehow managed to break 3 windows with her very enthusiastic throws. Of course, she had apologized profusely and sent someone to repair the broken glass as soon as she returned to the castle. Anna still teased her about it sometimes, mainly because there wasn't much else that could make Rapunzel blush so badly.

And there was the time before that, when Anna, Kristoff and Rapunzel were riding around the mountain in a sled pulled by Sven. Rapunzel was driving, and somehow managed to steer them into a tree. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Kristoff was happy, in fact. He'd been trying to fund an excuse to buy a new sled for some time. Rapunzel had gladly replaced the sled, of course, and Kristoff was in an excellent mood for a week afterwards.

Rapunzel hugged Anna again, and held her at arms length, examining her carefully.

"So Anna, how have you been? Keeping busy, i hope. Oh, we should go sledding again! I've been practicing with the carriages down at the palace. I know its not the same, but it isn't too different, don't you think? Oh and after that, we could..."

Anna sighed internally. It was hard to believe that this hyperactive chatterbox was in charge of a whole kingdom. Anna had seen her as the queen, as elegant and regal as anyone Anna knew. But the speed at which she changed from a well-mannered monarch to an excited, squealing girl was astounding.

"What do you think?" Rapunzel asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Oh, sorry. What did you say?" Anna said to her, snapping out of her stupor. Rapunzel groaned.

"Anna, you need to get your head out of the clouds!" she said, snapping her fingers in her cousins face. "I SAID, we should go shopping in the market tomorrow! Heaven knows that its been to long since i helped you pick out some pretty dresses!"

Anna smiled. "Sure. That sounds like fun."

Honestly, Anna just needed something to get her mind off of the dreams she had been having.

It had been over two months since she'd seen her sister at the stream, and every night since had been filled with dreams of Elsa. Whether it was nightmares of reliving that moment on the fjord, or pleasant dreams of happier times with her, every night without fail had been cursed with her presence. Anna stopped at that thought. She still loved her sister with all her heart, and missed her terribly. But every night she'd awake in silent tears, because Elsa only existed in her mind.

"Wonderful!" Rapunzel jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Oh, can i help with dinner? I've been taking cooking lessons with the chefs in the castle kitchens, learning to cook more exotic things, you know? I learned about this dish called soo-shee, and i thought we could-"

"That's very kind of you, but you are our guests. I couldn't possibly ask you to help me cook." Anna said. She did most of the cooking, ever since Kristoff had turned what Anna had intended to be a venison pie into what looked like a burnt black rock. She had come to enjoy it, creating something delicious from different items. It made her think of her childhood, and all the cooking opportunities she had missed out on.

"Oh, that's ok!" Rapunzel's smile never left her face. "I'll go put our things in the guest room, then!" She turned around and somehow managed to fall flat on her face. Anna sighed.

"Kristoff, could you help Rapunzel with her bags before she really hurts herself?" she called.

Kristoff and Eugene had been sitting by the fire, discussing who knows what, when Anna's call caught Kristoff's attention.

Helping Rapunzel to her feet, he picked up all of their bags in one arm and carried them to the room down the hall. "Thank you!" Anna called to him.

Eugene walked over to her and leaned against the wall. "So, how are things going up here in the mountains?" he asked Anna.

Anna sighed. "Well," she started, "its starting to get warmer during the day. We didn't even have to light a fire yesterday. Oh, and wait till you hear this. Kristoff was-"

Eugene stopped her. "Anna, that's not what i meant. Blondie might be too happy to see it, but i can see it plain as day. You look terrible, Anna. Are you sick? Are you injured or something?"

Anna sighed and examined her reflection in the window. It was true, she did look sickly. She had dark shadows under her eyes, brought on be lack of sleep. Those dreams took a physical toll as well as a mental one. And her face was paler than she had ever seen in, each one of her freckles standing out against her skin.

"I'm fine, Eugene. I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep. I-" she bit her lip hesitantly. "I've been having dreams about... about Elsa."

Eugene's eyes widened. Elsa was barely spoken about when he and Rapunzel came to visit. They both knew that Anna was still pretty torn up about her.

"That's... odd." he said slowly. Anna immediately knew that he wasn't telling her something.

"What? What is it?" she asked. "Did something-"

At that point, Rapunzel bounced back into the room. "Helloooooo, everyone!" she sang. "Kristoff, i still think it's incredible that you can lift ALL of those bags with just one arm!" she slapped Eugene on the arm playfully. "You should start working out!" she said.

"Rapunzel, stop playing around." He said. "I think we should tell her now."

The queen's smile faded. "Now?" she asked, glancing from Anna to her husband, and back again. "Why now? I thought we were going to tell her after dinner?"

"Honey, she's been dreaming about her sister for-" he stopped, looking back at Anna. "How long, did you say?"

"I didn't say. But i've been dreaming about her for almost two months now." She started to get nervous. "Will someone tell me what's going on?"

Eugene walked to the living room and sat down. "Anna, come sit here." he said, patting the seat next to him. Anna sat down.

"I guess i'll start from the beginning. You could probably guess, but Corona doesn't do any sort of business with the Southern Isles, after what happened."

Anna nodded. She had been there when Rapunzel had signed the order to cease all trade with the Southern Isles.

"As such, we have absolutely no idea what they have been up to these past four years, and we try to avoid them as best we can. But about three weeks ago, one of our merchant ships ran across a Southern Isles vessel on one of its trade routes near... Near Arendelle. The ship was barely floating, and only had three crew members on board, all of which seemed delirious. The merchant ship brought them back here, and they were questioned about what had happened to them, and their ship and crew." Eugene stopped for a moment, and looked at Anna. "They all kept repeating the same thing. No matter what we asked them, it was the same thing, over and over again." He hesitated.

"Well?" Anna asked. "What were they saying?"

"They kept saying, 'It was The Snow Queen. It was The Snow Queen.'"

"Wh-what?" Anna wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. "The Snow Queen?"

"That's right. But it was most likely just the shock, and they would probably just have run aground while trying to make port at Arendelle. Why anyone would want to get back there, i have no idea. It's still frozen over after all."

Anna was barely listening. Did this mean her sister was alive after all?

No, Anna had seen the sword. She couldn't have survived that. It was impossible.

Wasn't it?

* * *

**Well, that's it for this chapter. I know it raises more questions about Elsa, but i assure you they will be answered soon. Ish. I also have some bad news.  
I won't be able to update the story next week, as i will be on holiday in Bali and won't have access to my computer. I will, however, try to make the next chapter nice and beefy to hold you over for that week. As always, i'm open to reviews and suggestions from readers. Knock yourselves out! Also, if you like this story, recommend it to your friends, and other people who love Frozen fics. (Like me!) If you feel like asking me anything, drop me a line. Finally, the next chapter with involve semi-smutty content. No actual intercourse, just sexually suggestive situations. Get your lotion and tissues ready if you're into that kind of thing. See you on the flipside!  
-Cheesepuffs**


	5. Chapter 4

**a/n: All i can say is WOW! As i'm writing this, this story has 27 followers and 12 favorites! Something that started out as me writing something for the sake of writing something has turned into something i look forward to doing. Thanks guys! Also, if you want me to read your Frozen-themed fic, i'll most likely read it from beginning to end in one shot, so send me some suggestions. Now, as i said last time, this chapter contains mild sexual content. Sort of a triangle between Kristoff, Anna and Rapunzel. No intercourse though, so don't get your hopes up. I'm not a sick twisted fuck, you know.**

**That's a lie. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Anna was awoken by someone shaking her by the shoulders. With a grunt, she opened her eyes to see Rapunzel standing over her. Anna cried out and jumped back, bumping into Kristoff and waking him up.

"Finally!" Rapunzel said with a smile. "Come on, get out of bed! We have things to do today, remember? I'm taking you shopping!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands rapidly and letting out a delighted squeal.

Anna was still rubbing her eyes and trying to wake up. Stretching, she let out a huge yawn. "Rapunzel, it's still early! Why on earth did you wake me up at this hour?"

"I was too excited to sleep! And anyway, it's not like you need your beauty rest or anything!" This made Anna blush.

"Oh, please!" she said. "Look at me! My hair is a mess, i have no makeup on, and-" she raised her hand to her mouth, blowing out a puff of air and sniffing it "-i have terrible morning breath!"

Rapunzel put her hands on her hips. "Well, all the more reason to get up and make yourself look presentable! I'm going to make us all some breakfast. You'd better be up and dressed when i get back!" With that, she strode out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

Anna collapsed back onto the pillow with a sigh. Rapunzel could be unbearable sometimes. Beside her, Kristoff sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked down at Anna and smiled.

"Morning gorgeous." he said, leaning down to kiss her.

Anna turned her head away with a groan. "Didn't you hear me?" she asked. "I have bad morning breath."

Kristoff sighed. "Yeah, i heard. Come on, we might as well get up. She's gonna be back any minute, and i don't like the idea of her seeing me in my underwear."

Anna looked down and giggled. "Especially not with that." she said, pointing at Kristoff's crotch. Kristoff looked to where she was pointing.

"Good point." he said, fetching a pair of trousers to conceal his morning wood. "Hurry up and get dressed, Anna. I'm starving."

* * *

The noisy and crowded market made Anna uncomfortable. After over four years of living in the mountains with just Kristoff and Sven for company, she was very nervous, being around so many people. Rapunzel, however, was overjoyed.

"Oh, look Anna!" she said, grabbing her arm and pointing towards a group of street dancers. "Aren't they amazing?"

Anna sighed. "Yes, Rapunzel. For the hundredth time."

Rapunzel's face fell. "Sorry Anna. I just get so excited when i come here. There's so much to see and do, it's a little overwhelming."

"Trust me," Anna told her. "I know exactly what you mean." She relaxed a little when Kristoff grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through her own.

"Well, maybe we can find somewhere quiet to go?" Rapunzel suggested. "I still have to help you pick out some new clothes remember?"

Anna sighed. If she got through the day without being driven insane by Rapunzel's constant chattering, it'd be a miracle.

"Well, you guys can go ahead. I'm gonna get something to drink." Eugene said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the nearest tavern. "Can i count you in, Kristoff?"

Kristoff opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Rapunzel. "No! We need Kristoff's help." she said, covering his mouth with both hands. "I'm a fashion expert, of course, but Kristoff is the one who will have to see Anna in the clothes we pick. We need to make sure he likes them!"

Kristoff let out a muffled sigh, but Eugene was already heading towards the tavern. "Ok, see you guys later!" he called back to them.

As soon as he was out of sight, Rapunzel let out a squeal of excitement. "I thought he'd never leave. Come on, you two. I know the perfect place to start!"

* * *

An hour later, Anna collapsed on a bench, holding several large packages filled with clothes. She was exhausted, but Rapunzel was only just getting started.

"Anna, give me those. I'll have a guard take them to the castle, and you can take them back with you tomorrow." she said, taking the packages from Anna.

"Uh, what?" Anna said quizzically. "The castle? But aren't we going home?"

"Pfft, no!" Rapunzel scoffed. "You're staying with us tonight. Now get up, we have on more place to go." She handed the packages to a nearby guard. "Could you please take these to the castle? Thank you so much." With a salute and a "Yes, your majesty" the guard went on his way.

"Ok, lets go!" Rapunzel grabbed Anna and Kristoff by the arm and dragged them down a narrow street, until they reached a small, out of sight shop. Anna looked up at the sign above the door, but before she could read the french name of the shop, Rapunzel had dragged them inside. All she had seen was the word 'érotique', which she was pretty sure meant...

"Here we are!" Rapunzel exclaimed, shutting the door behind them. Anna gasped. The walls of the shop were lined with scanty items of clothing, sheer and tight-fitting nightgowns, see-through stockings, and number of other sexual clothes. So, that's what the "érotique" in the shop's name meant. Anna turned to Rapunzel, who was still smiling.

"Rapunzel, what are we DOING in here?"

Rapunzel looked at Anna like she was stupid. "Uh, so you can try on, and hopefully buy some sexy clothes? Geez, Anna. I thought you were smart."

Kristoff had said nothing. His mind was too focused on imagining his girlfriend wearing some of these clothes.

"I don't know about this..." Anna said. She'd never even thought that these kind of shops existed, or that there would be one in Corona.

"Oh, try something new once in a while! It'll be fun!" Rapunzel put her hands on her hips and stared at Anna. It didn't take much for Anna to crack.

"Ok, fine. Maybe one or two things..." she said, still uncertain. Rapunzel squeaked with joy.

"Goody!" she said. She walked up to the woman behind the counter. "Hello. Could you please direct us to your fitting rooms?"

"Yes, of course, Your Majesty!" the woman replied. "They're back this way." She motioned to a curtain to her left, leading into the back of the shop.

"Thank you. Oh, and do you think you could get a few outfits for my friend here to try on?" Rapunzel gestured toward Anna with a smile. "I'd say four or five will do." The woman nodded. "Excellent. Anna, Kristoff, come through here." She swept the curtain aside and led them through to a hallway with several doors leading into what Anna assumed were the fitting rooms. Rapunzel opened one and looked inside. "In here." she said. The room was small, with a row of comfortable looking chairs against one wall, and a large wooden dressing screen on the other side of the room. Anna and Rapunzel stepped inside, but Kristoff hesitated.

"Should i uh... Should i go wait outside?" he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Didn't you hear me before? We need to make sure you like the clothes we buy!" Rapunzel dragged him inside and sat him down on one of the chairs.

"Rapunzel, i really don't know about this..." Anna stood in the middle of the room, wringing her hands. "I've never even seen this type of clothing before, and I've definitely never owned any!"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Come on, Anna! Be adventurous for once!"

"I don't know..."

"Well, you obviously can't make up your mind, so i'll do it for you. You're trying some of these things on, and that's that." Rapunzel said with finality.

"But i-"

"Nope."

"What-"

"Nope."

"RAPUNZEL!"

"ANNA!"

Anna glared at her for a second, then gave in. "Fine," she grumbled. "But i'm only going to buy one."

Rapunzel smiled, having gotten her way like always. "Good. So you try them on, model them for me and Kristoff and i'll let him decide which one he likes best."

"Wait, what? I thought i was just going to try them on behind the screen!"

Rapunzel let out a frustrated grunt. "Gods, you're as bad as he is! We need to make sure that Kristoff likes them!"

At that moment, the shop owner stepped into the room holding a small pile of clothes. "Here you are, Your Majesty," she said, handing them to Rapunzel. "I like to think of myself as somewhat of an expert when it comes to judging sizes. But if i made a mistake, please do not hesitate to let me know."

"Thank you. We won't be needing anything else."

With a bow, the woman left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Lets get started, shall we?" Rapunzel said. "Anna, come over here." She lead her behind the screen, where there was a small table and a series of clothes hooks that were nailed to the wall. She put the pile of clothes down on the table before separating them and determining what was part of which outfit.

"Looks like this one... No, that goes here... And this one... There you go!" she said. There were now three piles of clothes on the table, each bearing a distinctive color. One was black, one was purple and one was red. "I'll leave you to it." Rapunzel winked at her and went to sit down. Anna surveyed the clothing and decided to start with the black pile. She laid out the different items of clothing on the table and got undressed. On the other side of the screen, she could hear Rapunzel and Kristoff having a conversation. Well, not so much a conversation as Rapunzel's endless chattering. But at least they weren't focused on her.

The first outfit was made up of what looked like the bodice of a dress, but was loose, and almost see through. Anna put it on and noticed in the mirror that it had a split running down the middle, starting from the bottom of her breasts. It had a pink bow connecting the fabric between her breasts, and she could see two more on the underwear that matched it. With a sigh, she pulled them on and examined herself in the mirror. Anna knew that the clothing was supposed to make her look...sexy. But more than anything, she felt embarrassed.

"Are you done yet?" she heard Rapunzel call. Crossing her arms over her chest, Anna stepped out from behind the screen.

Rapunzel gasped, and Kristoff's jaw dropped so quickly that Anna thought it would hit the floor.

"Strike a pose!" Rapunzel told her. Anna hesitated. "Ugh, here. Let me show you." Rapunzel stood and walked to Anna. She moved her arms so that one hand was on her hip and the other was resting on the top of the changing screen. "There we go! What do you think, Kristoff?"

Kristoff's mouth was still hanging open. "I, uh... It's nice. I guess." he said.

Rapunzel frowned. "Nice? Just nice? Oh, that will never do. Come on Anna, try on the next one!" She pushed Anna back behind the screen.

With another sigh, she undressed and started on the purple pile. This outfit was made up of a strapless purple bra with black lace, an extremely small skirt also with black lace and a pair of black stockings. Anna put them on and walked out again. She was met with basically the same response, Kristoff was speechless and Rapunzel let out an "Ooooh" at the sight of her.

"How about this one, Kristoff?" Rapunzel asked him.

"I- Anna, you look incredible." he said, shifting in his seat. Anna realized he was trying to cover up his erection. So did Rapunzel. She giggled.

"Well Anna, I'd take that as a VERY sincere compliment!" she said, glancing towards Kristoff's crotch. Kristoff blushed profusely.

"Ok, Anna. Last one!" Rapunzel said, pointing behind the screen. Anna went back around and examined the red outfit.

This one was only one piece of clothing. It was a small dress that went to just below her waist, barely enough to cover her privates. The straps were very thin and there was lace running under where her breasts would sit. She put it on and went back out.

"Oh wow..." she heard Kristoff say quietly. He wasn't even attempting to cover up his excitement this time.

Rapunzel noticed it again. "I think we have a winner!" she exclaimed. "Anna, get dressed and we can go pay for them."

"'Them'?" Anna said. "Rapunzel, i said i was only getting one!"

"Too bad. I'm buying them all for you. Besides, i don't hear Kristoff complaining."

Kristoff looked at them, hearing his name. He had been lost in thought, wishing he could have seen Anna in those clothes a lot sooner. "What? Oh, yeah. I think you looked great in all of them Anna."

Anna blushed, still a little uncomfortable at the thought of having been so exposed. But a small smile crept over her lips.

"Haha!" Rapunzel cheered. "You smiled, I win!" Anna knew there was no arguing with her.

Anna went behind the screen, put her clothes back on and folded all the outfits neatly, then carried them out to Rapunzel. They went back into the shop and were greeted with a warm smile from the woman behind the counter. "Ah, hello again." she said to them. "I trust everything went well? Did everything fit?'

"Yes, thank you." Rapunzel smiled back to her. "We'll take all three of them, thank you. And could i trouble you to package them for me?"

"Of course, your majesty. Not a problem at all."

While Rapunzel was paying for the clothes, Anna and Kristoff looked at some of the other clothes around the shop.

"Hey look," Kristoff nudged her and pointed to a mannequin. It was clad in a black lace bra and a pair of underwear that were missing the fabric that would normally cover a woman's privates. "Maybe you should try those on, too."

Anna slapped his arm and giggled. they heard Rapunzel thank the woman and walk to them. "Come on guys, lets go." she said with a smile.

As they exited the shop, they spotted a palace guard in the marketplace. When he saw them, he came rushing over.

"Your Majesty!" he said, clearly out of breath. "There you are! My Queen, there is a... situation at the palace."

"What?"Rapunzel said. "What happened? Is someone hurt?"

"No, your highness." The guard said. "There is someone to see you." He began leading the three of them back toward the palace. As they came into view of the palace docks, they saw a ship bearing the flag of the Southern Isles. Rapunzel gasped.

"What is a Southern ship doing in Corona?" she asked the guard.

"The King of the Southern Isles sent an envoy to discuss the prisoners we retrieved near Arendelle. He wants them to be released immediately."

"Why would they go to all that trouble for three men?" Rapunzel wondered.

"I don't know, your majesty. But i suggest we hurry. The messenger is waiting for you in the throne room."

As Anna, Kristoff, Rapunzel and the guard walked through the huge double doors that lead to the throne room, Anna saw something that made her heart stop.

She saw the auburn hair, the large sideburns and, as he turned to face them, those cold, green eyes.

As the man turned to face her, a look of complete shock appeared on his face. However, it was quickly replaced with a deceivingly pleasant smile.

"Anna. It's lovely to see you again."

"H-Hans?"

* * *

**Well, i hope you all enjoyed chapter 4 of A Frozen Wasteland. I felt like i had to end it here, mainly because there's just so much i'm going to have to cover in the next few chapters. Speaking of which, i will certainly start the next one as soon as possible, which will be either tomorrow or Monday. As i said in the last chapter (i think it was the last one anyway) i'm going to be in Bali during next week, and will be leaving on monday night. So hopefully i'll get it started before then. As always, i'm open to suggestions, advice and reviews.  
If you're interested, i've posted pictures on my tumblr page of the lingerie which i pictured Anna wearing in this chapter. My tumblr name is elsannaiscanon. Check them out. And thanks so much guys. Your support means so much to me. I love you all.  
Hugs and kisses from Cheesepuffs.**


	6. Chapter 5

**a/n: I don't really have much to say. Thanks to everyone who has followed the story this far, and those who have joined in on the ride. I love you all. Now, this chapter will be short, as it is a recount of how Hans escaped from Arendelle so yeah, it's a flashback. I just couldn't leave you guys with so many questions, so i figured i'd at least answer one of them. **

**Enjoy**

* * *

Chapter 5

Hans shielded his face with his hands, watching as Anna was lifted onto the back of a reindeer by a strange man with blonde hair. He heard her screaming at him, but he couldn't make out the words over the screaming and howling of the wind. As they ran away into the blizzard, Hans felt anger and fury cloud his thoughts.

_How the **fuck **did that little bitch survive? _he thought to himself. He had expected her to freeze to death, but somehow she'd escaped. And, by the looks of her, it seemed that she found an act of true love to save her.

Hans noticed that the wind was getting stronger and colder. Frost was starting to form on his clothes. _I need to get out of here. _

He made his way back to the castle, and went to the stables with the intention of taking a horse south, down the coast. There, he could find a town hire a ship to take him home. Arendelle was lost. Queen Elsa's death had not stopped the winter, as he hoped it would.

Her death. She was dead, wasn't she? After all, Hans had seen the sword. If she wasn't killed by that, then shock and blood loss would have gotten to her by now.

Hans shook his head. _One thing at a time... _He thought. He entered the stables, saddled a horse and rode into the courtyard. There, he found the foreign dignitaries that had survived discussing their next move.

"We should stay here! Queen Elsa will be returned soon and will stop the blizzard!" one of them said.

"Are you mad?" yelled another. "If we stay here, we'll freeze to death!"

Hans recognized the Duke of Weselton among them. "Prince Hans!" the Duke called to him. "Where have you been? Did you find The Queen?"

Hans bowed his head. "Yes. I found her." he said solemnly.

The Duke looked at him questioningly. "Well?" he asked. "Where is she? Will the Queen stop the winter?"

Hans looked at them all. "Queen Elsa is dead. I told her of her sister's demise, and asked her to stop the winter. But..." He took a deep breath. "She ended her own life."

There was a pause. "But the winter..." said the Duke, looking up at the sky.

"Has not been ended by the Queens death. We must leave Arendelle at once." Hans turned his horse toward the gates. "I suggest you all take horses and leave immediately."

"But what of the people in the town?" one of the foreign lords asked.

"We can no longer aid them. We MUST leave!" Hans said. With that, he rode out of the gates and started south.

* * *

Prince Hans entered his father's study, accompanied by two guards. As the doors opened, Hans saw his father staring into the fire burning in his hearth. He was not physically intimidating, standing only a few inches taller than Hans, with skinny arms and graying hair. But the King possessed more cunning and deception than anyone Hans had ever met.

"King Walder!" one of the guards said. "Prince Hans has returned."

The King glanced up and looked Hans in the eyes. "Leave us." he said to the guards. With a bow, they left the room.

Hans fell to one knee and crossed his arm over his chest. "Father, i have news from Arendelle."

"Then get off your knees and tell it, boy"

Hans stood. "I fear the kingdom is lost, my lord. I'm sure you've heard that the entire kingdom was consumed by winter, brought on by the powers of Queen Elsa."

The King sat down behind his desk. "Yes, yes, i've heard. Get to the point."

"I had hoped that killing her would end the winter. However, this was not the case. The storm in Arendelle rages on, and shows no sign of stopping. It-" he hesitated. "-it doesn't make sense!"

The King said nothing for several moments. Then,

"Are you sure she's dead, boy?"

"F-Father?"

King Walder stood. "Did you cut her throat? Did you hear her draw her last breath? Hm?"

Hans was at a loss for words. "I-"

"No! You didn't! I can't even count on you to kill a bloody woman properly!"

Hans fell to his knee once more.

"But you are correct about one thing. It doesn't make sense. Why would her powers continue to function if her body had ceased to do so? Perhaps..." he raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully.

Hans looked up. "What is it, father?"

The King looked at him. "Perhaps your uselessness isn't so useless after all. From what you've told me, Queen Elsa has the power to freeze an entire kingdom. That, my son, is no small feat. If the Southern Isles could take possession of this power, our enemies would tremble before us!"

"But father, The Queen is dead!"

"Are you so sure, boy?"

Hans stared at his father. He knew there was no point in arguing. "No."

"Then get your useless hide back to that frozen wasteland and find out! And IF she's alive, bring her to me in chains!" King Walder shouted. "Now go! Take what you need from our naval forces. And Hans?" The King said.

"Yes, father?"

"If you succeed, the first kingdom we take with her power will belong to you."

Hans bowed. "Thank you, father." He left the room.

As he walked down the long corridors of the palace, he could feel anger and frustration boiling inside him. He never liked to be told that he was wrong. This entire mission was a waste of time. _The Queen is dead! _he thought._ I killed her. _

_Didn't i? _

* * *

**Well, that's out of the way. I had planned to do this later in the story, but i like you guys and didn't want to leave so many unanswered questions. As always, i'm open to reviews, suggestions and advice, and if you just wanna chat, drop me a line. Anyway, this will be the last chapter i put out for the next week, i swear this time. I have to make the next few a bit longer, and i don't think i could do that before i leave. See you guys in a week! **

**Oh by the way, if you didn't guess already, i took the name and basic appearance of Hans' father from Walder Frey from Game Of Thrones. Only because he's a prick and i wanted the king to be a prick too. **

**Cheesepuffs.**


	7. Chapter 6

**a/n: Guess what guys? *Whispers* i lied! Well, i didn't lie. I didn't know that i'd have access to wifi in Bali, and seeing as it was a 6 hour flight, looks like you guys are getting at least one update this week! Are you happy? I hope so, because i am. Thanks to you guys, writing on here makes me really happy, unlike most things. So thank you to every one of my followers and favoriters, and remember, if you can find the time, please don't hesitate to post a review or send me a pm with your advice and suggestions. Enjoy! **

* * *

Chapter 6

"Anna. It's lovely to see you again."

Anna stared at the man before her. Her stomach felt like it had left her body entirely, and a look of disbelief was plastered on her face.

"H-Hans?"

He smiled. "Can you not spare even a smile for your ex-fiancee? Really, i'd expected a warmer welcome. Not from you, that is. I had no idea that this is where you've been hiding for the past four years." Every word that Hans spoke filled Anna with rage, and the desire to grab the nearest object and slam it against his head.

"Anna, is this the same Hans who you told me about?" Rapunzel turned to her. "The one who-"

"Yes. That's him." Anna said. "He's the one who killed Elsa."

Hans smirked. "Am i?"

"Of course you are!" Anna was yelling now, her voice ringing out over the high walls of the throne room. "I saw you! The sword, i-"

Hans' smile grew wider. "How can you be certain what you saw that day, Anna? You yourself were under the influence of your sister's vile sorcery."

"I-" Anna's breath caught in her throat.

"Well," said Hans, his smile never leaving his wretched face, "As fun as it is to reminisce with you, Anna, I'm here on business." He turned to Rapunzel. "Your majesty," he said, sinking into a low bow. "It is my understanding that you have in your dungeons three men of the Southern Isles. I humbly request, on behalf of my father, King Walder, that you release them to me at once."

Rapunzel stared him down. "Might i ask, Prince Hans, why these men are of such importance to you?"

His smile faded slightly, only for a second. "Why, the Southern Isles places value on the life of every one of its citizens, your highness. We merely wish to return them to their homes in the south."

"When we found them, the ship that they were on was barely afloat. It bore the look of a ship that had been attacked by something. Or someone."

"Is that so?" Hans raised a hand to his chin. "Might i ask, where did you find these men, your highness?"

The Queens mouth formed a thin line. "Not twenty miles from Arendelle."

Hans' smile grew once more. "Well, if i may, my Queen, perhaps they tried to dock there, or simply ran aground. That being the case, i imagine it would take quite a few men to free the ship. Why they might have done so, i do not know. Low on supplies, perhaps, or perhaps they were just fools." He began pacing back and forth. "Whatever the reason, your highness, i must insist that they be turned over to me at once."

"You are in no position to insist anything of me, Prince Hans." Rapunzel all but spat the words at him. "If what Anna says is true, and you are the man who murdered Queen Elsa, then perhaps i should hold you in the dungeons for the time being."

"Are you sure," Hans asked, "that this is a wise decision? You have no proof, save for the word of the young Princess here." He said, gesturing to Anna. "And if i was to be arrested and kept here, you can be sure that my father's vengeance would be swift and sure."

Rapunzel's gaze faltered. Although she was not practiced in the ways of war, she did know that King Walder's fleet outnumbered theirs three to one. "You make a fair point, Prince Hans." she said. "You will be free to leave. However, we will not release the prisoners to you at this time. We will question them further, and only when we decide that they are of no more use to us will you be allowed to escort them from Corona. Do i make myself clear?"

Hans' face grew angry. He exhaled sharply through his nose. "Perfectly clear, Your Highness." he spat. "With your permission, i shall take my leave at once." With a stiff bow, he turned on his heel and strode from the throne room.

* * *

Anna and Kristoff lay in bed together, enjoying their post-coital bliss. The only light in the room was a small ray of moonlight coming in through the slightly parted curtains.

"Poor Eugene," Anna said, snuggling closer to her bed mate. "He's probably feeling particularly lonely tonight."

Kristoff wrapped his arm tighter around her. "Well, it's his own fault for staying at that tavern all day. He should have been here to help deal with Hans. He is the King, after all."

Anna stayed quiet.

"You're still worried about earlier, aren't you?" Kristoff asked her.

"Yeah."

He looked down at her, meeting her gaze. "Why?"

Anna propped herself up on her elbows. "It was so scary, seeing him again after all these years. I thought he died in that blizzard."

Kristoff knew this wasn't the only reason, but he kept his thoughts to himself. The poor girl had seen Hans murder her sister. He was impressed that Anna hadn't tried to kill him where he stood.

"Well," he said, turning on his side, "unfortunately for us, he didn't. And i don't think we've seen the last of him."

Anna shivered. It wasn't from the cold.

"Why do you think he wanted his men back so badly?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Maybe he was telling the truth, and his father values the lives of his citizens. Who knows?"

"Eugene told me that they were talking about The Snow Queen when they were found."

"Anna, they were delirious. As far as the men who found them could tell, none of them had eaten anything for at least a week, and they hadn't had water for longer."

Anna's eyes narrowed, and her mouth turned to a hard frown. Kristoff knew that look.

"Oh no, you've decided to do something stupid, haven't you?" he said.

Anna got out of bed and started to get dressed. "I'm going to speak to them." she said, pulling on a heavy dressing gown.

"Anna, no!" Kristoff got up and grabbed her by the shoulders. "They're from the south, and that means they're dangerous! And besides, what makes you think they'll tell you anything?"

Anna walked to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulling out a small knife. "I can be very persuasive." she said, with a menacing look on her face. She strode out of the room and headed for the dungeons. Kristoff made to follow her, and got tangled up in the sheets in the process, falling to the floor with a loud thud. He pulled on a nightshirt and a pair of pants and ran down the hall after her. "Anna, wait up!" he called.

They both arrived at the dungeons together. "I want to see the prisoners that were retrieved near Arendelle. The three men from the Southern Isles." Anna said to one of the guards standing watch.

"M'lady, are you sure that-"

"_Now." _Anna demanded. "Or do i need to inform the Queen of this?"

The guard bowed and opened the heavy wooden door to the dungeons. "Yes, m'lady. Follow me."

Anna and Kristoff followed the guard to another heavy door, which the guard unlocked to reveal three men chained to the floor by long chains on their wrists.

Anna turned to the guard. "Thank you." she said. "That will be all."

"M'lady, are you quite sure-"

Anna shot a venomous glance at him.

"Yes, M'lady." He bowed again and returned down the hall. Anna and Kristoff stepped into the cell and shut the door behind them.

Anna cleared her throat, unsure where to begin. "Good evening." She addressed all three of the men. "How are you all?"

She could almost hear Kristoff rolling his eyes.

"Oh, just wonderful." said one of them, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We're being held captive in this dingy little cell, and before that we were half-mad with thirst and hunger. Just spectacular."

Anna sighed. "I'm sorry, i shouldn't have-"

The man waved his hand at her. "Ah, don't worry yourself over it. S'not your fault, M'lady."

Anna walked to the small bench that sat against the wall. "May i?" she asked, gesturing toward it.

"Do as you please, M'lady."

Anna sat down. "I understand that the situation you've found yourselves in is rather unjustified." she said, with genuine empathy in her voice. "If you can tell me what i want to know, i'll try my best to have you set free at once."

After a moments hesitation, they gave her a nod. "What do you want to know?" one of them asked.

"What were you doing so near to Arendelle? And," she added, "If you lie to me, i'll see that you spend the rest of your lives in here."

The three men exchanged glances. "If we tell you," the largest of them said, "Prince Hans will kill us if we set foot in the Southern Isles again. So, M'lady, you'll have to add a fair bit of gold to that little deal of yours."

"Done. Now tell me what i want to know."

The large man spoke first. "For the past four years, King Walder has been ordering raiding parties to be sent into Arendelle. To search for something. Prince Hans leads the mission, and we were stationed on our ship while our crew was ashore."

"What could the King want in Arendelle?" Anna asked. "It's nothing but snow and ice. It's a frozen wasteland."

"Aye," said the large man. "It is. But what do you think is making all that snow and ice?"

Anna's breath caught in her throat. "I-"

A loud boom sounded in the distance. "What was-"

"Cannon fire!" one of the men said. "The castle is under attack. You must go, M'Lady!"

"NO!" Anna shouted. "What is the Prince Looking for in Arendelle?! TELL ME!"

Before they could reply, the sounds of crashing and yelling could be heard down the hall at the entrance to the dungeons, followed by someone shouting.

"Search every cell!" the voice yelled. "Find them!"

They all heard the sound of doors being bashed open. Kristoff opened the door and peeked around the corner into the hallway. "They're Southern Isles men!" he whispered. He turned and faced the three men. "They must be looking for these three."

The men were getting closer to their cell. Kristoff grabbed Anna and put her in the corner, behind the door. From anyone in the room, she would be hidden from sight, unless they shut the door while they were inside.

"Stay hidden," he said with a kiss on her forehead. "Stay safe."

"Kristoff, wait!"

"Shh!" he hissed. Two Isles soldiers walked into the room.

"I found them!" one of them yelled out of the door. He focused his gaze on Kristoff. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Oh, nobody really." Kristoff said, raising his hands. "Just visiting."

The soldier unsheathed his sword and hit Kristoff over the head with the flat side of the blade, knocking him unconscious. Anna stifled a gasp.

"Smartass." he mumbled. He turned to the other soldier. "Take him back to the ship. I'll get these three."

The other solider nodded and dragged Kristoff from the room. The remaining soldier turned to face the three prisoners.

"Hello, gentlemen! Eager to get out?"

They nodded.

"Good, good. But first i must ask, did you tell anyone of your mission? Of what you were looking for?"

The smallest man spoke up. "No, M'lord. Not a soul, i swear."

The soldier smiled. "Excellent." His sword flashed across the man's throat, and he collapsed on the ground with a choking, bubbling cry.

The largest man was next. The soldier drove his sword right through the man's heart, and finished off the last prisoner with a quick slash, cutting his head clean off.

Anna covered her mouth with both hands to stifle a scream of horror.

The soldier sheathed his sword and left the room, shutting the door behind. Once her was gone, Anna heard a faint whisper from the largest man.

"Princess..." he weakly reached toward Anna. She rushed to over to him.

"Arendelle... Looking..."

"Yes?" Anna urged him on. "Looking for what?"

He choked and coughed weakly, blood flowing from his mouth.

"What were you looking for?!"

"Queen..."

His eyes shut and his body went limp.

"No! NO!"

Anna shook him until her muscles burned, but it was no use. She sank to the ground and buried her face in her hands. Then, she remembered.

"Kristoff!"

She took off running, out of the dungeons and into the entrance hall. Exiting the castle, she ran into Rapunzel and Eugene surrounded by guards. "Anna! Where have you been?" Rapunzel asked her, her voice filled with fear and worry.

"Where's Kristoff?" Anna said, gasping for breath. "They took him, the soldiers, they took him!"

Rapunzel frowned. "I don't-"

"They took him to one of the ships!" Anna yelled. "We need to get him back!"

As if on cue, they heard a voice coming from the direction of the Southern ship. It was Hans' voice.

"Queen Rapunzel! King Eugene! Princess Anna! I request an audience with you at once!"

They ran to the edge of the lake and looked out toward the ship. It was anchored less than one hundred feet from the shore. Prince Hans was using a large wooden cone mounted on the railing of the ship to amplify his voice. When he saw them, however, he strode to the edge of the deck. With a mocking bow, he addressed them.

"Good evening, Your Highness's. Lovely night, is it not?"

"Where is Kristoff?!" Anna shouted at him.

"Ah yes, the blonde haired brute. Bring him out!" he called to one of the men on the ship. Kristoff was dragged beside Hans and shoved to his knees. His eye was blackened and his hands were bound. Hans drew his sword.

"Consider this," he said, grabbing Kristoff's hair and yanking it backward, "a small, personal revenge."

He slashed Kristoff's throat.

Anna's heart stopped. Her scream of anguish echoed across the lake as Hans laughed and kicked Kristoff overboard. Anna fell to her knees. She stayed there as Hans sailed away.

He never stopped laughing.

* * *

Kristoff was buried on a hill overlooking their house in the mountains. He had always loved it there. The mountains, the snow, the cold. It was a part of him, as it had been before they left Arendelle.

Rapunzel ordered that a large shrine be built around his grave, but Anna refused. She knew that a simple headstone overlooking the mountain ranges would have been enough for Kristoff. The Queen made a formal announcement to the townspeople and her royal council, proclaiming the Southern Isles as enemies of the Kingdom of Corona.

A week after Kristoff's death, Anna went to see Rapunzel in her study.

"Anna," she said as the doors closed. "Are you alright?"

The Princess sat in the chair across from Rapunzel. "I-"

She barely got the word out before she started sobbing. Rapunzel got up and wrapped a comforting arm around Anna's shoulders.

"It's my fault!" she said between sobs. "I went to talk to the prisoners and the soldiers came and took Kristoff and-"

"Shhh.." Rapunzel whispered. "It's not your fault, sweetie. The only one to blame here is that snake Hans."

Anna stopped crying, wiped her tears away and stood up. "The prisoners told me what they were doing in Arendelle. What _Hans _was doing there." she looked at the Queen with a look of fierce determination.

"I need a favor, Rapunzel." she said.

"Anything."

"I need a ship." Anna said.

Rapunzel stood up and looked at her curiously. "A ship?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because i'm returning to Arendelle." she said. "I'm going home."

* * *

**How about that, huh? Things are finally starting to take off! I'll be back soon, guys, promise. Bye-bye!**


	8. Chapter 7

**a/n: Sorry this one has taken so long. I'm not very good with the really emotional stuff. Thanks to Ravager Zero for their continued support and very helpful advice. Go check them out. **

* * *

Chapter 7

Anna stood on the deck of the ship, staring out over the moonlit ocean. Her hair was out of its usual two braids, and instead was let down and flowing around her shoulders. She was dressed in simple sailors clothes, with dark leather boots, brown pants and a brown vest over a plain white tunic. Around her, the only sounds were the gentle lapping of the waves against the ships hull and the occasional squawk of a seagull. The crew was below deck, and the captain was in his quarters. It was late. Too late for anyone else to be awake, but Anna couldn't sleep. She didn't even know why she was going back. Was it to find Hans, or was it to discover the truth about her sister?

They had left Corona only a few days ago, and although Anna had hoped to be aboard a ship that was heading straight for Arendelle, the kingdom had very few to spare. This ship, called _The Water Wench, _was assigned to make trade with other kingdoms. It was also the only ship who's trade route ran anywhere near Arendelle. The two kingdoms were usually only a few weeks apart, but with the ship's detours, it would take more than a month. At first, Anna had been frustrated by this delay. But she knew that Hans wasn't the type of person to give up. He wouldn't give up until he found what he was looking for. And if it had taken him four years already, what was another month or so?_  
_

Anna sighed and leaned against the railing. The moonlight dancing over the water reminded her of that night. She remembered the splash that Kristoff's body made when it hit the water. The way his blood had turned the water red. She bit her lip to force back the tears, and buried her face in her hands. After a few minutes, she raised her head and noticed a small ship passing by. As she stared, Hans appeared on the deck of the ship, and Kristoff on his knees. Hans slashed his throat. Anna gasped and reached out to him, but they were both gone.

There was no holding back the tears this time. Shaking with sobs, she ran to her quarters.

* * *

Anna spent the next five days alone in her cabin. The memories and images continued to plague her mind. For the first two days, she didn't eat, she didn't sleep. She didn't do anything. Just sat in a chair and looked out the window. She didn't feel anything. She was numb. On the third day, she had started sobbing uncontrollably, crying until she was so dehydrated that the tears wouldn't flow anymore. And finally, exhaustion took her into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

When she finally woke up, she didn't know how much time had passed. She didn't care. As she curled herself into a ball underneath the covers, she became painfully aware of how lonely she felt in the bed, despite how small it was. Anna wasn't used to sleeping alone. She and Kristoff didn't usually have a choice in the matter, seeing as the temperature dropped very low at night in the mountains where they had lived.

She blinked back her tears. A knife had been stuck in her gut, and twisted painfully every time she thought of him.

Anna blamed herself. If she hadn't gone to the dungeons that night, they wouldn't have been there when the soldiers arrived. Kristoff wouldn't have been captured. He wouldn't have been killed. She was no stranger to this feeling, of course. Elsa's death was her fault. If she hadn't have been so eager to marry Hans, if she hadn't pushed her sister to revealing her powers, none of this would have happened. Elsa wouldn't have died. Kristoff wouldn't have died.

Anna thought about the years that Elsa had shut her out. The years that she had spent sitting outside her sisters door, hoping and praying that she would respond. Only after her death did she realize why Elsa had done so. Elsa had isolated herself from her sister to protect her from herself, her powers. To protect the world. And she had sacrificed herself to save Anna.

Everyone she had loved was gone. Because of her.

The mental wounds that had barely begun to heal had been split open again when she first saw Elsa that day at the stream. Now, because of Hans, they were pouring blood, and were deeper and more painful than ever.

No, it had been Hans who had killed her sister. He was the one who sent that ship to Corona. The one who sent men into the castle. Kristoff had died at HIS hand. No, this was his fault. Not only had he killed her sister, but he was the reason she had had to flee her homeland. The years she had spent in pain and sadness were because of him.

She remembered her old self as if it was another person entirely. That happy, awkward girl who was laughing and smiling all the time. She was gone. Hans had killed her along with Elsa, and turned Anna into this person who she barely recognized. And she hated him for that.

But, she realized, a part of that hatred was directed at herself. For finally accepting something she had tried to deny for the past four years.

She wasn't in love with Kristoff.

She loved him, of course. But it was the wrong kind of love. He was her best friend, someone she could turn to when she had problems. Someone that made her smile when she saw him. But that wasn't enough to ease the pain she felt over losing Elsa.

So they started sleeping together, on her insistence. She thought that maybe, just maybe, it might make her fall in love with him, to help her forget. But she couldn't. And she had felt terrible for using him that way, and for lying to him. But this only made the pain worse, and without another way to cope, she had continued sleeping with him. She needed to feel something, anything other than the emotional agony that never left her. She hated herself for it.

Her one bit of solace was that Kristoff had never had to find this out before he was killed. He died believing that Anna was in love with him. If he had ever found out the truth, Anna knew it would have destroyed him.

All her feelings, the pain, the rage, the loneliness. They had become one thought. One emotion. A single-minded resolve.

So on the fifth day, Anna had made a decision. Sitting in bed and crying wouldn't avenge Elsa's death. Or Kristoff's. No, only she could do that.

She was going to find Hans. And she was going to kill him.

So here she was, on a ship heading toward Arendelle. The prisoners had told her that Hans had been leading a mission there on the orders of King Walder. That soldiers from the Southern Isles were being sent into Arendelle to search for something. She remembered the large prisoner's last words. He had said "Queen". Could that mean that her sister was alive?

Anna shook her head to chase away that thought. Getting her hopes up wouldn't aid her in completing the task at hand.

Elsa was dead. And she was going to make sure that Hans suffered the same fate.

* * *

Anna was awoken by a loud crash above her. She sat bolt upright and looked out of the small window in her cabin to see that the ship was docked.

_Oh,_ she thought,_ its probably just people loading- _

_Wait. Docked? _

_Why are we docked?_

Anna had read the ship's schedule. She had it memorized. And this wasn't a scheduled stop. She leaped out of her bed and got dressed, making her way to the deck of the ship. Around her, the crew members were loading crates and barrels onto the deck of the ship, and into the cargo hold. She spied her fighting instructor Galdur leaning against the mast, engaged in a loud conversation with another crew member.

Anna had requested that a fighting instructor be brought along on the voyage to teach her swordplay. With nothing else to keep her occupied, she spent most of her time practicing with him. Galdur was a huge bear of a man, with broad shoulders and an enormous mustache that wobbled when he talked. Most of the time he was stern, professional and slightly cold, but once he'd had a few drinks, he was the nicest man you'd ever meet. Anna had actually been surprised at the remarkable transition when she had first dined with the rest of the crew below deck. Of course, she had chosen her own small corner to hide in, but this didn't stop her from being able to listen in on the conversations that the crew were having. Occasionally, one or two of them would shoot a curious glance her way, but they never spoke to her. Out of fear, or respect or perhaps they thought she was snobbish. Anna didn't know, nor did she care. She liked being left alone. But it was hard to be alone with her thoughts when she was startled by Galdur's booming laughter every few minutes, and the occasional song.

She strode toward the captain of the ship, who was busy speaking with a dark-skinned merchant.

"Captain!" She called. "Why have we stopped?"

The captain turned away from the merchant and focused on Anna.

"M'lady." He bowed low.

Anna ignored his pleasantries. "Why have we stopped?" she repeated.

The captain sighed. "There was a brawl below decks last night. Somehow, the crewmen involved managed to break three of our water barrels."

"I'm still waiting for an answer, captain."

He glared at her for a moment, displeased with her blunt attitude. "Well M'lady, seeing as we only had four barrels of water left, and I don't fancy seeing my crew die of thirst, I didn't really have a choice."

Anna let out a sigh of frustration. "How long until we are ready to continue to Arendelle?"

"Not more than two hours. As well as water, we are going to restock some other items. Rope, cloth, gunpowder, rations..." He stopped when Anna glared at him again. "If it please you, M'lady, you can browse the market while we're here." he said, waving his hand toward the town. "Gods know there isn't much to do aboard the ship."

Anna gave a small nod. She'd do anything to occupy her thoughts. "Thank you captain, i think i will." She turned to return to her quarters to retrieve her coin purse and the small dagger she kept for protection. Before she left, however, she turned and said, "Oh, captain?"

"Yes, M'lady?"

"I'm sorry for being short with you just now." she gave the man a small smile. "I'm not really a morning person."

"M'lady, you have been aboard my ship for a month. Believe me, I've noticed."

* * *

_This was a terrible idea. _

The market was incredibly crowded, with a stall every few feet. The air was filled with the sound of conversation, merchants shouting their wares, the sizzling of meat on racks suspended over small fires. Everywhere, noise and people.

It was making Anna incredibly uncomfortable.

Before she left Arendelle, she would have adored a place like this. There were so many people to talk to, each with a story to tell. There were stalls full of colorful silks ("Here, madam! This shawl will bring out those beautiful eyes of yours!"), bright and oddly colored fruits ("A single bite and you will name your first child after me!") and everything in between.

But now, she preferred peace and solitude. All the hustle and bustle was making her anxious. She ducked into a small alley and sat down on a bench. Even though it was just a few feet from the crowded street, it was significantly quieter. There were few people in the alley. Two men were engaged in a hushed conversation, and a small group of women stood together further down the alley. They were clad in revealing clothing and wore far too much makeup.

_Whores, _Anna thought. She couldn't abide whores. The concept of payment for an act that should only happen between lovers was distasteful to her.

_Is that any better than what you did to Kristoff? _A voice in the back of her mind sneered. She shut it out. The whole reason she came to the market was to get away from those thoughts.

Anna left the alley, hoping the noise would help drown out that voice. She spied a small tavern and ducked inside. As she opened the door, the smell of tobacco, sweat and beer hit her like a sack of bricks, sending her reeling. Steeling herself against the stench, she walked to the bar and sat down.

Anna surveyed the small tavern. It was almost as noisy as the market. There were groups of men having loud, drunken conversations, a table of whores laughing loudly. A few dogs sat with their masters at their table, barking for scraps of food. Hidden in the corner, there was a small table of men in black cloaks and hoods. They were speaking in low, hushed voices and were clutching glasses of deep blue liquid

"What'll it be, Missy?"

A gruff voice made Anna turn around. She saw that it belonged to the barman, a large man wearing a filthy apron and wiping a metal tankard out with an equally dirty rag.

"I-I'll just have an ale, please."

The barman grunted and filled a tankard from a large barrel behind him. He set it in front of Anna.

"Three coppers."

Anna handed him the coins and lifted the tankard to her mouth, taking a small sip of the dark, foamy liquid. It was horribly bitter, but strangely warming. She took a bigger sip and set the mug down. Looking over her shoulder, she focused again on the small table of hooded men.

"Who are those men?" she asked the barman.

He grunted. "Not a clue. Strange lot though," he said. "They come in every day and sit in the same place. Been doin' it for the last few weeks."

Anna turned to face him. "Do you get many strange people coming through here?"

He grunted again. "Not too many, Missy." he said with a shrug. "Did get some Southern Isles soldiers in here a few weeks back. They don't usually come this far north. They prefer it down south, where it's nice and warm." He spat on the floor behind the counter.

Anna felt a flare of anger. She took a large swallow of her ale.

The barman continued. "You hear they attacked Corona? Sent a raiding party into the castle during the night. Caught 'em by surprise."

Anna glared at her tankard, trying to ignore the tears welling in her eyes. "Yeah. I heard about that."

The barman's expression grew softer. "You alright, Missy?" he asked.

Anna downed the rest of her drink. "Just fine." she said, wiping her mouth. She looked out the window at the clock tower in the town square. She had just over an hour until she had to be back at the ship.

She pulled her coin purse from her pocket and put three copper coins on the bar.

"Give me another drink."

* * *

**a/n: Sorry this chapter has taken so long, guys. As it is my first fic (ever), i'm not too good at writing the really emotional parts. Thanks a tonne to Ravager Zero for their help, support and advice. Check out their incredible story "An arm and a leg". So many feels. If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to drop me a line. Also, if you could find the time to leave a review, i'd really appreciate it. I try to respond to all my reviews. Reading criticism, both positive and negative, helps me improve my writing skills. Also, it gives me warm, tingly feelings inside. **

**Thanks a buttload,  
Cheesepuffs. **

**P.S: My girlfriend is reading this story, and she was REALLY pissed at me for the last chapter. No sexytimes for me :(**


	9. Chapter 8

**a/n: Holy. Crap! This story has gotten a lot more attention than i thought it would. 53 followers and almost 5000 views! How about that? Anyway, as always, I'm open to suggestions and advice. Thanks to Ravager Zero for all their help. Check them out. **

***Cough* If you could leave a review, that'd be great. **

* * *

Chapter 8

45 minutes and 5 tankards of ale later, Anna was drunk for the first time in her life. For the first time in forever, she felt happy and relaxed.

"_So this is why people drink," _she thought. _"Why didn't I start doing this years ago?"_

Her happy thoughts were interrupted by a hand coming down on her shoulder. She turned and saw a man with a large beard, several missing teeth and a large tankard in his free hand.

"Well hello there, darlin'," he slurred. Anna could smell the alcohol on his breath. "What's a fine young thing like you doin' in a place like this?"

Anna knocked his hand away and stood up. "Leaving." she said. Looking out the window, she saw that it was time to get back to the ship.

As she strode toward the door, the man grabbed her arm. "Aww, don't be like that, sweetheart,"

Anna tried to wrench her arm out of his grip, but he was surprisingly strong.

Taking a large swig from his drink, he looked her up and down. "You **are** a pretty one." he said, setting down his tankard. "Let's see what you've got under those clothes." **  
**

He made a grab for her chest. As he did, his grip on Anna's arm loosened, allowing her to pull it from his grip. She pulled away from him, and his hand missed her chest, instead grabbing the cord of a small pouch hanging around Anna's neck. The cord snapped, and he looked at the pouch with confusion.

"What have we got here?" he slurred, shifting his focus from Anna. He began to open the pouch.

Anna, however, felt an enormous surge of rage. Her vision turned red and she punched the man as hard as she could in the face. She heard a sickening crunch as his nose broke and sprayed blood everywhere. He was doubled over, and Anna followed up with a knee to the head. He fell backwards, and Anna pulled out her dagger and got on top of him. She grabbed the pouch from his hand and put the blade to his throat.

"Mine." she growled.

Suddenly, she felt someone pick her up from behind. "Come now M'lady, that's enough." It was Galdur. Anna didn't resist. "Let's get you back to the ship. Captain's about ready to leave." They left the tavern and Galdur put her down. "Wouldn't want you to get left behind, now would we?"

Anna didn't say anything. She slid her dagger back into it's sheath, tucked her pouch into her shirt and started back toward the ship. The anger was gone now. She felt horrible.

Galdur started walking beside her. "You wanna tell me what that was all about?" he asked. Anna could hear the concern in his voice.

She cleared her throat. "He took something of mine. I got it back."

Galdur frowned. "Must be pretty important for you to break his nose and put a knife to his throat."

"Yes. It is."

* * *

Later that night, Anna lay in her bed. She could hear the crew below deck, eating and drinking and shouting. Every now and then, she would hear Galdur's booming laugh. The noise would have made it difficult for her to sleep, if there wasn't already something keeping her awake.

Anna was horrified at her own actions in the tavern. And she knew that if she hadn't gotten her pouch back when she did, and if Galdur hadn't pulled her off of him, she would have killed that man. Would have slit his throat and watched him choke on his own blood. And nobody deserved to die like that.

Well, almost nobody.

She reached a hand into her shirt and pulled out the small cloth pouch. The reason it was so important to her, the reason she had broken a mans nose to get it back, was because it contained her most treasured possession in the entire world. She opened it, reached in and retrieved the object inside.

A single turquoise glove.

On the night of Elsa's coronation, when Anna had started this whole mess, she had intended to give the glove back to her sister when she came back to the castle. When she had ventured to the Queen's ice palace, however, fate had had other ideas. Elsa had struck her sister's heart, and sent them from the palace. Anna had never gotten another chance to return the glove to its owner, and so she kept it after she and Kristoff had escaped Arendelle. It was the only part of her sister that Anna had left. And she was never going to let it go.

Anna raised the glove to her nose and inhaled. Even after all these years, it still bore the indescribable scent of her sister. The smell of snow-covered mountain tops and snowy forests. It was the smell of winter.

Anna curled up into a ball, clutched the glove to her chest and started sobbing.

* * *

The next morning, Anna was woken by Galdur knocking on her door and yelling at her.

"Rise and shine, Princess! You're late for your training session!"

Anna sat up and rubbed her eyes groggily. "What?" she yawned.

"I said, you're late for training!" Galdur called.

She let out a sigh. "I'll be right out!"

She heard Galdur grunt, then she heard his footsteps moving away. Once she was sure he was gone, Anna flopped back down onto the bed. She really didn't feel like training today. She had been incredibly nervous the last few days, because they were due to arrive at Arendelle any day now. This had shown in her sessions with Galdur. She had learned to wield a sword rather well in a very short time, and was usually able to hold her own against the man. But for the past couple of days, he had bested her easily whenever they sparred. She had more bruises than she could count. With another large sigh, she rolled out of bed and got changed into a pair of light brown pants and a white shirt. While she was pulling on her boots, Anna noticed that she had left Elsa's glove on her small bedside table. She quickly put it back in the pouch, and tucked the pouch into her shirt.

Yawning, she left her room and headed up to the main deck, where Galdur was waiting for her. Looking up at the sky, Anna say that it was barely past dawn. The crew hadn't even woken up yet.

"Galdur, why did you wake me up?" she asked. "We never train this early."

"Because today is different." He smiled and pulled his hands from behind his back. Anna saw that, instead of the wooden swords they usually used, he was holding two blunt-edged steel sparring swords. "We're stepping it up today." He threw one sword to her. She caught it, noting that it was only slightly heavier than the wooden sword, as the wooden sword had a length of solid lead running through the center so as to strengthen the wielder's arm.

Anna assumed her stance, holding the sword in front of her with the tip pointing almost straight up. Galdur did the same, and after a moment, Anna struck out with a blow aimed at his upper left arm. He parried the blow and grabbed Anna's wrist, pulling her toward him and stabbed the sword upwards, stopping the point at the girl's chin.

"Dead."

Anna pulled away with a frown, getting back into her Princess could feel her anger growing. She observed her opponent, just as he taught her to do, then struck out again, this time aiming for the man's face with the long edge of the sword. He parried again, forcing Anna's sword backwards, over her head and out of her hands. He then grabbed her shoulder, spun her around, wrapped his huge arm around her midsection and put the blade to her throat.

"Dead."

Anna shoved him away with a growl of frustration. He was never usually able to beat her this easily. She picked up her sword and got back into her stance. Galdur struck first this time. He aimed a blow at her sword arm. She sidestepped, blocked and shoved him backward. He stumbled slightly, and after regaining his balance, struck out again, this time with a downward strike aimed at her shoulder. Anna dodged, pinned his blade to the deck with her foot and threw all her weight into the big man's chest. He fell backward, but pulled his sword from under his opponents foot, making her stumble. Anna balanced herself and struck down at Galdur, who only just managed to block the blow. Anna struck again and again, her emotions getting the better of her. Each blow was fueled by a sudden rage, and the big man was barely able to black them. She grabbed the man by his collar and put the tip of her sword to his throat.

As Anna realized what she was doing, her eyes widened in shock as she dropped her sword and stepped back several paces. She covered her mouth with both hands and felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry Galdur! I... I just lost control and..." She stopped as he started to laugh.

"My my, it's been quite a while since someone has beaten me quite like that!" he chuckled. "Seems that anger of yours can be quite useful."

Anna felt disgusted with herself. She had poured all of her anger toward that bastard Hans into what was supposed to be a harmless training exercise. With great effort, she put all her anger away in a dark corner of her mind. She had to be careful. Once that door was opened, it was very hard to close. She helped Galdur to his feet, and he picked up his fallen blade. He took up his stance and leveled the sword at Anna.

"Round two?" he asked with a smirk.

* * *

Anna returned to her cabin several hours later with several fresh bruises, a split lip and a very sore left foot. She flopped down on her bed with a huge sigh, and decided that a nap was in order. Despite the pain she felt from her bruises, Anna fell asleep rather quickly.

She wasn't surprised when the nightmare started.

She was standing on a snowy mountaintop, looking over the kingdom of Arendelle. It looked as it did before Elsa's powers brought an eternal winter upon the land, turning it into a frozen wasteland. Feeling a presence behind her, she turned and saw her sister standing there. The queen smiled, and began waving her hands, creating bursts of ice and snow. Anna marveled at the beauty she saw in her sister's powers. Elsa created an icicle and held it up to the sunlight, letting the bright rays reflect through it. Anna stared at it as it changed into a sword. With a gasp, she looked at her sister. Elsa was gone. In her place stood Hans, wearing an evil grin. With a loud cackle, he shoved the sword through Anna's gut.

Anna woke with a start. She looked out her window and saw that it was late afternoon. She hadn't been asleep for very long. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and rested her face in her hands. As this voyage had progressed, it seemed to Anna like more and more of a bad idea. She had no idea how she was going to find Hans, much less what to do once she did. And even if she did somehow manage to kill him, then what? Would she go back to Corona and live the rest of her life in the castle, known only as the Princess without a kingdom?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud knock on her door.

"Princess?" It was Galdur.

Anna stood up and opened the door. "Yes?"

The huge man bowed. "M'lady. Forgive me, but you may want to come up to the deck. There is something you may want to see."

With a furrowed brow, she allowed him to lead her to the deck. As they passed the small armory, Galdur grabbed a sword from one of the racks and strapped it to his waist. Anna did the same.

She noticed that it was significantly colder than it was earlier that day. They went to the bow of the ship and Anna gasped at what she saw.

Despite the fact that the ship was still several miles away from land, she recognized the mountain that stood behind the royal palace of Arendelle. The palace itself was barely visible, covered by several dozen feet of snow. Anna's eyes began to well with tears at seeing her childhood home again.

Looking down at the ocean, she saw that there were large chunks of ice floating in the sea that had come from the still-frozen fjord surrounding the palace. The edge of the plain of ice stood about a mile away from the palace.

"Well, M'lady, we have our orders. We will anchor the ship off the coast, and send men ashore to search for Prince Hans. The captain has asked that you stay aboard the ship for your own-"

Galdur was interrupted by the loud ringing of a bell, and a crewman's yelling.

"SHIP SIGHTED OFF THE PORT BOW!"

A large frigate came into view, sailing from behind the mountain near the palace. The captain, who was at the helm, yelled back.

"What colors is she flying?"

The crewman paused, taking moment to look through his spyglass.

"Southern Isles!"

Anna knew before the crewman even spoke. She knew who was aboard that ship. She ran to the helm and stood beside the captain.

"Men!" she cried. The crewman focused on her. She unsheathed her sword and raised it high above her head.

"Prepare for battle!"

* * *

**How about that? We finally got to Arendelle. But it looks like Hans has other plans...  
Anyway, good news. This weekend is a long weekend and it doesn't look like i'll have too much homework. So i'll be able to get the next chapter out in the next few days. WARNING: The next chapter will contain slightly rapey content.  
Thanks to every single one of my readers, followers and favoriters. And to the people who leave reviews. They're awesome to read. See you next time! **

**Cheesepuffs.**

**(Swiggity swoo, leave a review)**


	10. Chapter 9

**a/n: As i said in the last chapter, this chapter will contain rape-y content and will generally just be kinda dark on some places. Don't worry, there will be no actual rape (as in penetration) so chill. Also, i got called a bitch by MissNena214 (Their reviews made me laugh for like 7 decades), so i would just like to clarify that i am a guy. A 17 year old low self-esteem ridden guy. So lets keep the insults either male-based or gender neutral, shall we? Oh by the way, if you haven't already, read "All I Saw Was You" by oikosyogurt. I cried like a little bitch at least 14 times while reading it. And as always, check out Ravager Zero. They rock. This chapter contains swearing.**

**leaveareview****leaveareview****leaveareview****leaveareview****leaveareview**

* * *

Chapter 9

"Prepare for battle!"

The crew roared and raised their weapons. Anna roared back, with a look of fierce determination.

"The wind's on our side, boys!" the captain yelled. "Let's show these southern bastards how we do things! Bring her to full sail and ready the cannons!"

The crewmen rushed about the deck, obeying the captain's orders. Anna turned to the captain.

"Can we take them?" she asked.

"I reckon we have a good chance, M'lady. And if we can't, you can be damn sure we'll go down fighting."

The Princess nodded. It wasn't her life that she was worried about ending.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed through the air. It had come from the southern ship.

"Mortar fire." the captain said. He turned the ship sharply to the left, trying to get them out of the line of fire. Anna waited for the crashing and splintering that signaled the impact of the mortars, but it never came. The captain let out a sigh of relief. But it was cut short when he turned his gaze back to the enemy ship.

It was closer now, no less than three hundred meters away. It was turning to face its cannons toward them, so the captain did the same.

"Come on now..." he said to himself. "We only need to get one good round in..."

The captain stopped turning. He released the wheel, and it spun in the opposite direction.

"Cannons ready?"

"Aye, captain!"

"FIRE!"

An enormous boom resounded through the ship as the port-side cannons were fired. The enemy ship fired at the same time, and Anna cried out as she felt the ship shake as cannonballs impacted on the hull.

"S'alright, M'lady!" the captain reassured her. "They didn't do too much damage. Looks like we got 'em, though!"

He was right. The southern ship had been hit in the biggest of its three masts, which had toppled over, causing the ship to slow.

"Ready the cannons, men! We're going to sink these southern cunts!"

"NO!" Anna yelled. "We need to board them, captain. I have to make sure he dies."

The captain shot her a confused look. "Who?"

"Prince Hans."

"M'lady, how do you even know he's aboard that ship?"

Anna's expression darkened. "I know."

The captain sighed. "Very well. PREPARE TO BOARD!" he yelled to the crew. Turning the wheel, he pulled them alongside the southern ship. The crewmen threw grappling hooks on lengths of rope to the enemy ship, pulling them closer and closer until the two ships were right next to one another. The captain stepped away from the helm.

"Kill them all!" he cried, raising his sword. Anna drew her sword and ran to the deck, meaning to board the ship with the rest of the crewmen. She suddenly felt a hand grab her arm. She turned to see that it was Galdur who had stopped her.

"M'lady, you might want to stay close to me." he said. Anna nodded, and together, they boarded the ship.

It was madness. Splinters of wood lay everywhere, and the clang of steel echoed endlessly. Everywhere, men fought each other. Already several lay dead or wounded.

A southern soldier spotted Anna and Galdur, and charged at them, sword in the air. Before he reached them, however, Galdur raised a huge foot and kicked the man squarely in the chest. Anna heard a sickening crack as the kick broke several ribs. The man was flung backward, screaming in pain.

"That's one down!" Galdur said.

"Not the one i want."

Anna scanned the deck of the ship, searching frantically for Hans. He had to be here. He had to.

There! She spotted him dueling the captain, and he appeared to be winning.

"Galdur, there!" Anna pointed in his direction. "We have to help the captain!"

"Aye, and so we shall!" Galdur ran toward the pair, bowling down three men in the process. Anna followed behind him, sword at the ready. He seized Hans from behind and threw him to the ground. The huge man raised his sword.

"NO!" Anna yelled. She moved Galdur aside and pointed her blade at the fallen Prince.

"He's mine."

Hans wore look of utter bewilderment. "Anna?" he said incredulously.

The Princess smirked. "That's right, you son of a whore." She put the tip of her blade underneath his chin. "Any last words before I remove your disgusting head from your pitiful body?"

"Only one." he said. "NOW!"

Several dozen men holding crossbows streamed from below decks. They leveled their weapons toward the enemy soldiers, and they dropped their swords and raised their hands.

Three of the men converged on Anna, the captain and Galdur. "Drop the sword!" one of them said to Anna.

She hesitated. She was an inch away from her sweet revenge, but would it really be worth it if she wasn't alive to savor it?

"It's your choice, Anna." Hans sneered. "Kill me and die now, or drop the sword and live a little longer."

Anna dropped the sword, putting her hands in the air. Hans took a crossbow from one of his men and went to the helm.

"Who among you do you name as captain?" he called. The crewmen said nothing. "Very well. Bring me the girl!" he said, pointing at Anna.

"Leave her be!" The captain yelled. He stepped forward. "I am the captain!"

"Good. Bring him here!" Hans ordered his men. They brought the captain before him, shoving the man to his knees.

"Let this man be an example." Hans said. He raised the crossbow to the captain's forehead and pulled the trigger.

Anna gasped, and struggled to hold back the bile she felt rising in her throat.

Hans pulled the bolt from between the captain's eyes. "Throw this overboard." he said, kicking the corpse.

He turned and surveyed the crew. "Put them all in the brig! All except her." he said, pointing at Anna. "Bind her hands and take her to my chambers. I have something special in mind for her."

* * *

Anna struggled against her bonds, desperately trying to free her hands from the rope holding them together. The rope binding her hands was tied to a small metal loop set into the floor. Unable to free herself, she slumped to the ground. It was pointless. A single tear fell from her eye as she realized that this was the end. She would never avenge Elsa. Or Kristoff.

Anna couldn't feel the ship moving, or hear the water sloshing against the hull, so she knew they weren't moving. It had been a while since Hans' men had brought her to his chambers, and she had spent the whole time dreading what the Prince had in store for her. Anna knew he was evil, capable of murdering people without a second thought. This didn't help her reassure herself.

The door to the small, dimly lit room swung open and Hans strolled in. Saying nothing, he walked to Anna and surveyed her. Raising a hand to his chin thoughtfully, he walked behind her, looking her up and down. He stopped in front of her and lowered his hand.

Quick as a snake, his hand shot out and delivered a backhanded blow to the side of the young woman's face, knocking her over. Ears ringing, she struggled to pick herself up.

"That was for punching me after I killed your pathetic sister. And this," he said, delivering a kick to her rib cage, "is for being such a pain in the neck!"

As Anna struggled for breath, Hans went on.

"I knew that little bitch Rapunzel would send someone after me. After I killed that blonde brute-"

"Kristoff!" Anna choked out. "His name is Kristoff!"

Hans smiled. "Very well then. After i killed _Kristoff_, it would have been stupid for me to be unprepared for retaliation. So when I saw your ship, I sent armed men below decks to come up on my signal and overwhelm your forces. Brilliant, wasn't it?"

"Fuck you."

Hans' expression turned angry. He reached down, wrapping his fingers around Anna's neck and lifted her off her feet.

"I did not, however, count on you being here, Princess." he said. He lowered her to the ground and slammed her head into the wall. Anna saw stars. "I didn't think that a prim and proper little bitch," he tightened his grip on her throat, "like yourself would have the nerve to show your face around me again." His free hand roamed across her body, and he roughly groped her breasts. Anna wanted to throw up.

"But no matter. I haven't had a good fuck in a while. We're going to have some fun." he said with a devious grin. He groped her again, squeezing her breast hard enough to make her cry out in pain. "Well," he corrected himself. "I am, anyway."

Anna tried to rein in her fear as she continued to struggle. "Don't fucking touch me!"

Hans laughed. "That's it, keep struggling. It makes for more of a challenge." He leaned in and buried his nose in her hair, taking a deep inhale. "You know Anna, it's such a pity that we didn't do this before. If your cunt sister had have give us her blessing, all of this could have been avoided." He bit down on her neck hard, making her cry out and leaving a bright red mark. "Of course, I would have killed her so I would be king. Who knows, I might have even let you live long enough to give me an heir or two." His hand snaked its way past the waistband of her pants.

Anna pushed him away. "Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me!" she yelled. Hans' expression darkened, and he slapped her across the face. She fell to the floor, catching herself on her bound hands.

"Oh, I am going to enjoy breaking you." he snarled. He grabbed her throat again and pulled out a knife. "Stop me again," he said, "and I'll cut your fucking hands off and let my crew have you. How does that sound?"

Anna's eyes widened in horror and she stopped struggling.

"Good. Now, lets get this off you, shall we?" He cut the rope tying Anna's hands to the floor, but left her hands tied together. "I can't fuck you here."

He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her over to the large bed. Throwing her down, he began to unbuckle his pants when an enormous crash resounded through the ship, and Anna felt the floor tilt sharply underneath her.

"What the fuck?" Hans said. He regained his balance as the door swung open and a soldier ran in.

"Prince Hans! Sir, you need to see this."

Hans growled in annoyance. "Fine." he pointed at Anna. "Watch her."

"Yes sir."

Hans exited the room, and Anna was left with the soldier. He drew his sword and pointed it at her.

"You try anything," he said menacingly, "and I'll open your throat. Got it?"

Anna nodded. "Good." he said.

Anna's heart jumped as another huge crash shook the ship, and the soldier was violently thrown across the room. He slammed into the wall and slumped to the floor, unconscious. Anna jumped up, grabbed his sword and cut her hands free of their bonds. There was yet another crash, and she felt the front of the ship being lifted, making the floor tilt sharply. She heard screaming and yelling as she ran out to the deck.

The sun was low in the sky, and Anna saw that the ship was less than half a mile from the shore of Arendelle. Her attention, however, was drawn to the battle raging around her. Her crew, it seemed, had broken themselves out of the brig and stormed the ship. Anna spotted Galdur and rushed to him.

"Galdur, what the hell is going on?!" she yelled over the roaring and clanging of steel.

"When the ship was hit, the man guarding us fell and hit his head!" Galdur yelled back. "We grabbed the keys and busted out, then made a quick stop at the armory!" He was interrupted by another huge crash. Anna ran to the railing and looked over to see that the ship was stuck in the middle of what seemed to be a huge glacier and was being slowly raised into the air.

"Galdur, we need to get off the ship. NOW!"

Galdur smiled. "Right you are, M'lady. MEN!" he yelled to the rest of the crew. "FINISH OFF YOUR OPPONENT AND ABANDON SHIP!"

Anna spotted Hans rushing out from below deck, a sword in one hand and a crossbow in the other. "KILL THEM ALL!"He spotted Anna. "BRING HER TO ME!" he roared, pointing in her direction. The two men accompanying him rushed toward her and Galdur. The huge man swept his arm in front of the Princess. and raised his sword.

"Best leave this to me, M'lady." he said. He blocked a blow from the first man, knocked his sword from his hand and punched him square in the face. The second man faltered, and Galdur delivered a mighty kick between his legs, sending him flying backward and knocking him unconscious.

"Alright Galdur, you've had your fun. We have to g-"

Anna's speech was cut short when she felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder, and an impact that knocked her back several paces. Looking down, she saw a crossbow bolt buried in her flesh.

"Princess?" Galdur looked astonished.

Anna looked up and saw Hans leveling his crossbow at her. His eyes glinted and he smirked as he pulled the trigger.

The second bolt made a _thunk _as it hit her on her right side, this time in the ribs. She felt the bones break and splinter as the bolt shattered through them. Spiderwebs of agony spread from the two impact points as Anna fell to her knees. Raising her head, she saw Hans point the crossbow in her direction again, this time aiming at her head. Although the noise of the battle around her was almost deafening, she heard Hans' voice as if it was right next to her ear.

"Goodbye, Anna."

Anna's ears exploded as an enormous, splintering crash filled them. A huge, sharp piece of ice erupted from the center of the deck, sending men and wood flying in all directions and effectively ripping the ship in two. The impact threw Anna over the railing of the ship and into the icy water below.

The last thing she saw was Galdur diving in after her. After that, everything was darkness.

* * *

"...she be alright?"

"I expect... might be a little fatigued... other than that..."

The voices made Anna stir from her sleep. Why were there people in her room? She had told them to-

The memories came flooding back, and Anna's eyes shot open. She sat bolt upright and looked at her surroundings.

She was in what appeared to be a small hut made of woven grasses and leaves. A bed of soft green grass had been made for her, and a roughly made blanket lay draped over her legs.

But what caught her attention was the two people conversing near the entrance. Well, one was a person. It was Galdur. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. The other was-

"Grand Pabbie?!"

The elderly troll turned to see that Anna was awake, and a smile lit up his stony face.

"Ah, Princess Anna. It warms my heart to see you well after all these years. How do you feel? Any pain or discomfort?"

Anna remembered that she had been shot. She lifted her shirt to examine her rib cage, but saw only a faint white scar. When she moved her left arm, there was no pain. She shook her head.

The troll smiled again. "Excellent. My magic seems to have worked."

Anna, however, did not smile. "Pabbie, how did I get here? The last thing I remember was falling into the ocean!"

"Ah, yes." Pabbie said. "Your charming companion here," he waved his hand toward Galdur, "filled us in on the details. Apparently, after you fell into the sea, he dived in after you and brought you ashore. Remarkable. The water must have been freezing."

"Aye, it was," said Galdur proudly. "but I have a thick layer of fat to keep me warm!" He laughed his booming laugh.

"But how did i get HERE?"

Pabbie's smile grew wider. "Well, after Galdur here hauled you ashore, you were found and brought here."

"Found? By who?"

The old troll gestured toward the entrance of the tent. "See for yourself. Be careful, however. Many of my kin are overjoyed to see you again, and you know how... overbearing they can be."

Anna nodded and left the hut through a curtain over the entrance. She was greeted by a loud cheer.

"PRINCESS ANNA!"

Several dozen trolls tried to hug her legs, causing her to stumble and trip, falling flat on her face. With a sigh, she picked herself up and brushed the dirt from herself.

"Anna?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She knew that voice. She would always know it. She raised her head slowly.

There stood an image of perfection, was someone she never thought she would see again. Someone that had haunted her dreams for the past four years. Someone who had been in her mind every single day since she had left her home. Someone who looked too real to be anything but.

Standing before her was her sister.

Elsa.

* * *

**a/n: A fitting end for my longest chapter yet, don't you agree? But more to the point, *clears throat* ELSA IS ALIVE! I couldn't wait to finish this chapter. I ****absolutely adore both sisters, of course, but Elsa has always been my favorite. Even so, writing about Anna has given me a knew appreciation for her. Elsa is still my favorite though. **

**Anyway, thanks to all my favoriters and followers. I love each and every one of you. **

**If you enjoy this story, please please please leave a review. I love reading them. Hearing your inputs and opinions is awesome. **

**If I fucked something up in the naval battle scene, remember that the bulk of my knowledge about 17th century ships comes from Assassin's Creed IV and the Pirates of the Caribbean films. *Gives finger***

**Oh, in case you didn't pic up on it, some of Hans' dialogue in the rapey scene was me directly referencing an amazing story called "People Aren't Always What They Seem" by Eternal-Supernerd. Its another AU story about what would happen if Elsa did bless Anna and Hans' marriage. If you haven't read it already, i highly recommend it. Prepare your feels.**

**If you have any suggestions or ideas, or just wanna chat, don't hesitate to drop me a pm. **

**Lastly, remember that flashback chapter i did for Hans? The next chapter will be one of those, but for Elsa. Shouldn't take too long though, so don't stress. **

**Cheesepuffs. **

***All my life has been a series of LEAVE A REVIEW***


	11. Chapter 10

**a/n: Hey guys. Sorry about the cliffhanger in the last chapter. (Just kidding. Remember, here in this story, I am GOD). But to those of you who were looking forward to Anna and Elsa interacting, there will be a little bit, but not much in this chapter. Sorry. Like I said, this chapter is a flashback. Mostly. However, in the NEXT chapter, there will be more. So hang in there guys. And enjoy the next installment of "A Frozen Wasteland". Also leave a review kthanks. **

**p.s. Just in case you don't pick up on it, the first flashback sequence takes place pretty much right after the first chapter. The second takes place back to back with Anna's arrival in Arendelle. Just FYI. **

* * *

Chapter 10

Anna stared at her sister, unable to move, speak or even breathe. After over four years of misery and loneliness and tears well beyond counting, Elsa was here. Alive. Standing right in front of her.

She looked exactly the same as she did all those years ago, clad in her ice dress, with her hair in an elegant ponytail inlaid with snowflake-shaped diamonds.

And all Anna could do was stand there, gawking like an idiot.

Elsa's expression grew concerned. "Anna?" she barely breathed the word.

Anna launched herself at Elsa, wrapping her in a tight hug. She felt tears roll down her cheeks, but was not entirely sure of the feeling behind them. Joy? Sadness? Anger?

That last one threw her for a second. Why would she be angry? She had finally been reunited with her sister, the person who she had cried herself to sleep over more times than she could count.

And yet there was anger. Anna pulled away from the hug, noticing that her sister hadn't returned it, and stared Elsa in the eyes.

"How?"

The ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of Elsa's mouth. "Hans really needs to work on his aim." she joked.

Anna slapped her.

"This is not a time for joking, Elsa. You are going to tell me two things. First, how the fuck are you alive?"

Elsa rubbed her cheek. The blow had not been hard, but it still stung. "Anna, I-"

"And second," Anna interrupted, "you are going to tell me why you never tried to find me when you have in fact been alive this whole time. Do you understand?"

Startled by this side of her sister, Elsa nodded. "Which do you want me to start with?"

"How the fuck you're alive."

"Anna, there's really no need for the language. You are a princ-"

She stopped when she caught sight of the glare Anna was sending her way. With a sigh, she led Anna over to a small tree stump.

"Sit down."

Elsa sat on a mossy rock next to her and watched as all the trolls gathered around them.

"Well, you know what happened with Hans, and the sword after I pushed you out of the way." Elsa started.

"Thank you for that, by the way." Anna gave her sister small smile, despite her anger.

The blonde returned the smile. "Anyway, after that, the next thing I remember is..."

* * *

**_Four years ago._  
**

_"Elsa... Elsa, wake up... Elsa..." _

Elsa's eyes slowly opened, and she became aware of three things:

First, the raging blizzard had died down, and now it was snowing lightly. The sun was low on the horizon, sending an orange glare over the frozen fjord.

Second, there was an incredible pain in her midsection from where the sword had gone through her. A pool of blood was frozen on the ice, and more was slowly oozing out of the gash in her stomach.

And third, Olaf the snowman was standing over her. His eyes lit up when Elsa opened hers, and he lifted his head from his shoulders in elation.

"Elsa! You're awake!" he cried. He pointed at the wound in her stomach. "But you're broken!"

The Queen raised her head. The pain in her stomach was of little concern to her. "Olaf, where is Anna? Did she get away?" Every word sent a sharp pain through her body.

"I think I saw her and Kristoff riding away on Sven." he said. His expression grew sad. "They didn't say goodbye."

Elsa sighed with relief, letting her head slump back to the ice. Anna had gotten away. She was safe. Her eyes started to close again.

"If you want to take another nap," Olaf said, "Maybe you should go up to the castle. This ice doesn't look very comfortable."

Elsa struggled to lift herself up. After several tries, she raised herself onto her hands, her legs splayed out over the ice.

"Olaf, it's like you said. I'm broken." she pointed to her wound, which was still throbbing terribly. "I'm hurt. Badly."

The snowman's expression saddened again. "Well, why don't we go visit the trolls? I bet they could fix you."

"Trolls?" The word brought up a memory in the dark corners of Elsa's mind, of the night she had struck Anna in the head with her powers.

"Yeah, they were the ones who told Anna that only an act of true love would thaw her heart. They sang a fun song, too. I forget the words, but-"

"Do you know how to get there?" Elsa interrupted him.

"Ye- Um, I think so?"

"Good."

Elsa raised a hand to the wound in her stomach, laying her palm over it. She exhaled and let the magic flow from her hand, crying out in pain as she froze the wound shut. She stood, trying to ignore the pain as she rose shakily to her feet. Olaf stood next to her and helped keep her up. Elsa visualized Marshmallow in her mind, and sent a blast of magic at the ice. A huge snow golem rose from the ground.

"Pick me up." Elsa commanded it. It did so, cradling its maker in one of its huge hands. "Olaf, get up here."

Olaf climbed up the golem's body and sat on his shoulder. "Are we going to see the trolls now?"

"Yes. Tell him where to go."

"Ok." the snowman said. He pointed. "That way. And hurry!"

* * *

The trolls bowed as Elsa, Olaf and the huge snow monster walked into their midst. Elsa was limping badly, just barely able to keep herself standing. Olaf was on one side of her, trying his best to support her. She could hear the trolls talking amongst themselves.

"It's the Queen!"

"She's hurt!"

"Someone get Grand Pabbie!"

"Give her some room!"

Elsa fell to her knees. The pain in her torso was growing, and her vision was beginning to blur around the edges.

"Queen Elsa." She raised her head to see a familiar face. The elderly troll stood before her, looking greatly concerned. "What on earth happened?"

She struggled to form words. "I...sword..."

Pabbie held up a hand. "Forgive me, your majesty. Details are not important at the moment." He turned to address the other trolls. "Carry her majesty to my hut. But be gentle!"

Elsa felt herself being picked up by several small, rough hands and carried into a small hut made of woven grasses and leaves. The trolls set her down on a soft bed of grass, and Pabbie stood beside her and examined her wound. After a moment, he took her hand.

"Your majesty, you have several broken ribs. I can heal you, but there will be quite a lot of pain. You have also lost a substantial amount of blood, so I will need to put you to sleep afterwards."

"Do it!" Elsa cried.

Pabbie nodded. He laid his hands over her injury and began muttering in a strange language. Elsa screamed in agony as she felt the muscle and tissue slowly begin to knit themselves back together, and the shards of bone realigning and mending themselves. She heard a _crack _as each bone fragment snapped into place. An eternity seemed to pass before the pain finally subsided. Elsa was breathing heavily, her body covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"I am so very sorry, your highness." Pabbie said. He waved his hand over her eyes, sending a shower of light blue sparkles into them. "Rest now." Elsa's eyes felt tremendously heavy, and they closed.

When she woke, Elsa saw that she was still in Pabbie's hut. She sat up, and noticed that she was covered in a thin, roughly made blanket. It fell off her, revealing her midsection. There was still a tear in her dress where the sword had gone through it. She could see an ugly scar there, the dark purple painfully obvious on her white skin. She waved her hand over it and mended the tear, then left the hut.

Pabbie greeted her. "Your majesty." he said, bowing. "How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine, thank you." Elsa said. She looked around the small valley. There were several dozen other trolls, some small, some very large. There was no snow or ice that she could see, however. In fact, there was steam rising from several places in the ground.

"Has the winter ended?" she asked Pabbie. "Has the weather returned to normal?"

The elderly troll looked saddened. "I'm afraid not, your highness." He waved his hand toward his home. "There are powerful spells here. Spells that protect us from..." He struggled, trying to find a word that would not offend the Queen. "..._undesirable _effects. The rest of the kingdom, however, is still frozen."

Elsa's heart sank.

"However, I-" Pabbie began, before he was interrupted.

"ELSA!"

The Queen was nearly knocked over by something barreling into her. She saw that Olaf had wrapped himself around her leg, and didn't show any signs of letting go. "You're ok!" he said. "I told you that the trolls would be able to help!"

Elsa was startled by the amount of affection that Olaf was showing toward her. But it only made sense. She created him, after all.

"Yes Olaf, I'm ok." Elsa said, trying to pry the snowman from her leg. "Could you please let go of my leg?"

Olaf released her. "Sorry." he said sheepishly. "I'm just happy that you're all better."

Elsa smiled at him. "Thank you, Olaf. But where is the snow creature who brought me here?"

"Oh, I sent him up to your ice castle so that Marshmallow would have a friend." he said with a smile.

"Marshmallow?"

"Yeah, that's what I named that big mean snowman who threw us out!"

Elsa felt a pang of regret at the memory. If only she had listened to Anna, perhaps things would have been different.

Pabbie cleared his throat. "As I was saying, your highness, if you would permit me, perhaps I could help you learn how to control your powers better. It seems as though your father did not fully succeed in that regard."

Elsa sighed. Her father was the one responsible for keeping her locked away for so many years. The one who had kept her in isolation, away from the world, causing her to fear herself. But try as she might, Elsa could not bring herself to hate him.

"Thank you, Pabbie. I would like that."

Elsa decided two things that day.

First, she would not seek her sister out until she had full control of her powers. No matter how long it took, she couldn't risk hurting Anna again.

And second, for what he had done to Anna, the kingdom and Elsa herself, she promised herself that Hans would die.

* * *

_**Present day. **_

"Ugh, why can't I do it?!"

Elsa was trying to thaw out a block of ice that she had created, but she kept failing miserably. Her cry of frustration startled Olaf, who had been sitting on a rock playing with some of the younger trolls. He jumped, causing his head to fall off of his shoulders.

"Oh Olaf, I'm sorry." she rushed over to him and picked up his head. He took it from her outstretched hands and placed it back on himself.

"That's ok, Elsa. I'm easy to put back together. See?" he said with a smile.

Elsa returned the smile, trying to rein in her anger and frustration. She had been trying to learn how to unfreeze thing for months now. She had mastered every other aspect of her powers, learning to create whatever she saw in her mind. Anything she could imagine, she could create. Elsa had created horses, golems and even soldiers. But for the life of her, she couldn't learn how to thaw her creations. Once she made it, it was there to stay.

Pabbie tried to calm her down. "Elsa, everything takes time. Look how far you've come already!" he smiled. "I'm certain you will master your powers. You just need to be patient."

This didn't help Elsa control her anger. She sent several small icicles flying into the trunk of a tree in frustration. Noticing the snow starting to fall lightly around her, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

In the four years that had passed since she had decided to stay in Arendelle, she had spent almost every day practicing with Pabbie. She had frightened and hesitant at first, but over time, her confidence grew, as did her control over her powers. Her emotions still affected her control, but not nearly as much as they had before. In all the years that her father had her locked away from the world, she had never felt this way about herself. She wasn't afraid of herself anymore.

Her thoughts were interrupted by several loud booms coming from the direction of the fjord. She immediately knew what was happening.

About two months after the day Anna had left, a ship from the Southern Isles had arrived at Arendelle. Men were sent ashore with heavy armor and weapons. When Elsa had gone to confront them, they had tried to attack her. Tried. She had easily driven them off, and captured one of them. When she had questioned him, he told her all about Prince Hans' mission from the King, and how they had been ordered to capture her. When she had learned everything she needed to, Elsa had sent the man from her kingdom with some supplies in a very small boat. She wasn't interested in killing prisoners.

There was only one person she wanted dead.

Every month or so, another ship would arrive in Arendelle. But they hardly made it to shore anymore. Elsa scared them off with huge displays of power. And if they did make it to shore, well... She had perfected the art of inflicting non-fatal injuries.

"It's them again." Elsa said to Pabbie, "I'm going to deal with them. I shouldn't be long." The elderly troll nodded.

"Please be careful, Elsa."

"I will." With a smile, she set off. She was looking forward to this. She needed a chance to vent her frustration. Hearing more cannon fire, she quickened her pace. Who were they firing at?

It took her about half an hour to reach the fjord. Looking out toward the ocean, she saw two ships. One was flying the colors of The Southern Isles. The other...

"What is a ship from Corona doing here?" Elsa said to herself. She could see that the southern ship had taken the Corona ship and its crew, and was currently in the process of repairing one of their masts. "Oh, I don't think so."

Elsa closed her eyes, took a deep breath and raised her hands. In her mind, she saw a large glacier forming under the southern ship. She sent a blast of magic in that direction, and saw the ice form beneath the water and hit the ship. She smiled, and visualized the glacier slowly raising the ship into the air. It took a lot of effort, making Elsa grunt with exertion. As she raised both her hands slowly, it felt as though she was lifting the ship herself. Several minutes passed, and Elsa heard a dull roar coming from the ship.

With a roar, Elsa lifted her arms high into the air, visualizing a huge icicle erupting from the center of the ship. She was pleased to hear the sound of splintering wood as the ship was ripped in two. She saw sailors jump overboard as the remnants of the ship fell into the sea.

The Queen was breathing heavily. Making things that big took a physical toll on her.

Elsa saw someone swimming toward the shore. She made her way to them, and saw that it was a huge man with someone draped over his shoulder.

"Stop right there!" she yelled at him. The man stopped and looked at her.

"Please, I need help." he gently laid the person he was carrying on the ice. "She's injured."

"What?"

Elsa looked at the woman laying on the ice, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw who it was.

Anna.

* * *

"...and then I brought you both here." Elsa finished.

Anna sat and stared at her sister. Her anger was gone, replaced with guilt. She felt horrible for being angry at Elsa. She hadn't tried to find Anna because she was trying to protect her. Anna realized that all the years that Elsa had spent avoiding her and staying locked up in her room was just her way of protecting her sister.

"So, where have you been all this time?" Elsa's question snapped Anna out of her thoughts. "And what made you come back?"

"Uh, Kristoff took me to Corona. We were staying with Rapunzel and Eugene for the last few years, then one day they told us that one of their ships had captured three men from the Southern Isles not too far from here. A few weeks later, Hans showed up in Corona and asked Rapunzel to release them." Anna felt her anger boil up at the thought of Hans. "She refused, and that night I went to talk to them. They told me about why they were here, but then Hans sent men into the castle to kill them." She paused for breath. "I guess he didn't want them to tell anyone what they knew. Kristoff was captured, and..." Anna tried to hold back her tears. "...and Hans killed him. That's when i decided to come back. To kill Hans."

Elsa saw the tears welling up in her sisters eyes and took Anna's hand. "I'm sorry about Kristoff. But I promise you, Hans will die for what he did to us. Right now, though, we need to worry about you. Are you feeling ok? No pain anywhere?"

Anna shook her head. "No, Pabbie did a pretty good job."

The elderly troll stepped forward. "Thank you, your highness. I was afraid that I might have been too late. The icy water certainly didn't help your condition. But fortunately we were able to save you."

Anna smiled. "Thank you." She turned to her sister. "So where is Olaf now?"

"I sent him back to my palace. Marshmallow and Iceblock were getting lonely, so he's keeping them company. He doesn't know you're here, but I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

Elsa saw that the sun had set. Her story had taken longer than she thought.

"Come on, Anna. You should sleep." She led Anna to one of the huts and watched as her sister laid down on the small grass bed. As she turned to leave, Anna grabbed her hand.

"Elsa, will you stay with me?" she asked quietly.

Elsa smiled. "Of course."

It was the best nights sleep either of them had had in years.

* * *

**a/n: I know i said this chapter wouldn't take long guys, and i'm sorry. I got swamped with homework and on top of that, i had to study for a SAC. So yeah. The next chapter will have a very interesting development, so stay tuned. Also, i know the sisters are slightly OOC, but this is because they've both been growing and changing for the past four years. People change, guys. Guys. People change. **

**And yeah, as always, leave a review or i'll be waiting under your bed when you go to sleep tonight. **

**Cheesepuffs. **

**p.s. I'm thinking about re-writing the first few chapters. because honestly, they're uh *Cough* they're kinda shit. Let me know if you think i should. Thanks.**


	12. Chapter 11

**a/n: This is just incredible! 73 followers and 34 favorites! WOW! Thanks so much to each and every one of you guys. You f*cking rock! That's the good news. The bad news is, although I've received several reviews and even a few PM's about it, I'd like to clarify once and for all that I will NOT be bringing Kristoff back to life. I love his character, and he's an awesome person to write but seriously guys, he got his throat cut. He's dead. He WILL, however, play a role in the future. He may or may not even make an appearance in future chapters. He's not coming back to life though. Sorry to disappoint.  
**

**Now that we have that out of the way, enjoy the next chapter of A Frozen Wasteland! **

* * *

Chapter 11

Anna stirred in her sleep, wrapping her arm around something that was no longer there. Feeling around, the Princess felt nothing. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. Elsa was gone from beside her. With a feeling of growing panic, she pulled on her shoes and left the small hut,

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Elsa a short way away, sitting on a rock and chatting happily to Galdur. Anna made her way over to the two of them, but before she could make it, she was knocked over by something small and white.

_"ANNA!" _

Olaf had launched himself at her and wrapped his arms around her midsection. "I missed you, Anna!" The snowman looked up at her adoringly.

Anna hugged him back. "I missed you too, Olaf."

Their encounter had caught the attention of Elsa and Galdur. They had abandoned their conversation, and while Elsa was trying to stifle her giggles, Galdur's booming laughter filled the air.

Anna felt her cheeks grow hot. "Olaf, could you let go so I can get up?"

He released her. "Elsa said that you got hurt. Are you ok?"

Anna nodded. "I'm just fine, Olaf. Pabbie fixed me up."

Olaf gave a huge smile. "I'll go find him and say thank you!" With that, he ran off in search of the elderly troll.

Anna gave a small smile. Olaf's constant good mood reminded her of how she used to be.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Elsa said from behind her. "Or should I say good afternoon."

Anna looked up at the sky and saw that it was well past midday. She turned to face her sister. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

Elsa smiled sheepishly. "I thought you could use the sleep."

Anna hugged her. "Thanks. I really did."

Anna was surprised to feel her sister returning the hug. All the memories she had of Elsa involved being avoided or shut out, so this was a welcome change.

They pulled away from each other when Galdur's loud voice startled them. "Glad you're feeling well, M'lady. I was afraid we wouldn't make it to shore for a second there. That water was bloody cold." He laughed.

"Thank you so much, Galdur." Anna said. "There's no way I could ever repay you. You saved my life."

Galdur smiled, his eyes twinkling under his bushy eyebrows. He bowed low. "Just doing my job, M'lady."

"Anna, no offence, but when was the last time you took a bath?" Elsa asked her. "You, uh... well, to be perfectly frank, you smell."

Galdur let out another booming laugh, and Anna pushed her sister's shoulder lightly. "Well, I _have _been at sea for a month. I suppose i could use a bath."

"There's a spring not too far in that direction." Elsa pointed over her sister's shoulder. "I'll get you a towel and a change of clothes."

"Thank you." Anna headed in the direction Elsa had indicated until she saw the spring. There was steam rising from the water, despite the very distinct chill in the air.

She took one of her shoes off and dipped her foot in the water to test the temperature. Finding it pleasantly warm, she pulled her shirt over her head and placed it on a rock. Anna looked down to examine the spots where Hans' crossbow bolts had hit her. The two scars stood out, dark purple against her slightly pale skin. She touched two fingers to the scar on her ribs. The memory of the bolt shattering her ribs set her teeth on edge.

Anna thought back to before all this had happened. She hadn't thought it was possible to hate somebody this much. To want somebody to suffer and die. But she was a different person then. So much had happened, so much had been lost. First Anna had lost her sister, then her home. Then Kristoff. All taken by the same person. Now, she had Elsa back. She was alive and well, and had been this whole time. All the tears that Anna had shed, all the sleepless nights she had spent trying not to wake Kristoff with her sobs had been for nothing. She wasn't completely sure how she felt about that.

Elsa was alive, and Anna was home. Two of the three things that had been taken from her had been returned. But she knew that Kristoff wasn't coming back.

Meanwhile, Elsa rounded the corner leading to the spring. She was carrying a towel and some clothes that had been retrieved from the palace. There was a simple green and blue winter dress, black boots and green gloves.

"Anna, I got-"

Elsa's breath caught in her throat as she saw Anna's bare back. She could see the dark purple scar above her shoulder blade and on her lower back where the crossbow bolts had gone through her. Her shoulders were heavily dotted with freckles, and there was a light dusting of freckles running down her spine.

Her voice had shaken Anna from her thoughts, and the redhead jumped with a start and covered her bare breasts with her arm before turning around. Elsa cleared her throat.

"I got you some clothes, and uh... a, um..." she cleared her throat again, trying to avert her eyes from her sisters naked upper body. "And a towel. There's some soap. here too. I'll just put them here." She set the pile of clothes down on a rock and turned to leave.

"Thanks." was all Anna managed to get out before Elsa hurried away. _"Shit. That could have gone better." _

Anna picked up the clothes and moved them to the edge of the spring before removing the rest of her clothes and stepping into the water. She sighed as she felt her muscles relax and the dirt begin to wash from her body. That dip in the ocean hadn't done much in the way of cleanliness.

She picked up the soap and began rubbing it over her arms and midsection, building up a thick lather before washing it off. She took a deep breath and held her nose, then dipped her head under the water to wet her hair. She rubbed the soap through her thick locks and dipped her head under again.

After finishing the rest of her body and feeling thoroughly clean, she planted her hands on the edge of the pool and tried to hoist herself out of the water. Her hand slipped on the wet stones and she felt a sharp pain as a particularly sharp rock made a jagged gash up her left forearm.

"FUCK!"

Blood gushed from the wound, and after taking several moments to loudly shout profanities, she climbed out of the water and grabbed the towel, wrapped it around her waist and pulled on the old shirt she had been wearing.

Elsa had heard her, and came running. "Anna, what is it?" she half-shouted. "What happened?" She gasped as she saw Anna holding her arm, blood running from beneath her fingers.

"I fucking cut my arm. Please, go get Pabbie!"

Elsa turned to run back to the troll's settlement, but was greeted by Pabbie rounding the corner. "I heard a yell. What happened?" he asked.

"Anna cut her arm. It looks pretty bad."

Pabbie walked briskly to Anna, who was on her knees clutching her arm with her teeth gritted in pain.

"Let me see it please, Anna."

She lifted her shaking hand away to reveal a deep, jagged gash. The bleeding had slowed, but hadn't stopped. Elsa winced at the sight of the blood and covered her mouth.

"Looks to be an easy fix." Pabbie said. He ran the palm of his hand down the length of the wound, and Anna watched as it began to heal. New skin stretched over the exposed flesh until it looked several days old. There was still pain, but it was greatly lessened.

"This is the best I can do right now." Pabbie told her. "Please, get dressed and come to my hut. I'll be able to heal you there." With a nod to both girls, he turned and left.

Elsa helped Anna to her feet. "You're still as clumsy as I remember, Anna. Only you could manage to cut yourself in the bath." The blonde gave a small giggle.

"Oh sure, you can laugh." Anna said with a weak smile. Her hands were still shaking from the pain. "Now get lost so I can get dressed."

"Are you sure? I could help you if you need it."

"I'm _fine_, Elsa."

Elsa sighed. "You're still as stubborn as I remember, too." She turned and headed back to the village. "Don't take too long." she called over her shoulder.

Anna dried herself off, being careful not to reopen her cut. She got dressed and headed back, her left sleeve rolled up to expose the cut, which had covered her entire forearm with dried blood. Making her way to Pabbie's hut, she saw Elsa had resumed her conversation with Galdur. As she passed them, Elsa jumped up and ran to her side.

"You alright?"

Anna sighed. "Still fine."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "Fine, I won't be concerned about my little sister being in pain." she said, her voice thick with sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, it's just a strange feeling to have you worried about me, after thinking you were dead for the last four years, and you avoiding me for thirteen years before that."

Elsa's heart sank at the memories of their childhood. "Anna, I'm so sorry-"

Anna held up a hand to silence her. "Later. My arm still hurts like a bitch."

"Anna, there's no need to use that kind of language."

"Yes there is, I'm in pain." She started toward Pabbie's hut. Elsa followed her. "You stay out here. I feel bad for interrupting another conversation between you and Galdur."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

Elsa sighed. "Fine, but come back and see me as soon as you're done."

"Will do."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Pinkie swear?"

"ELSA!"

Elsa giggled. "Fine, get going." She turned and sat back down next to Galdur. Anna made her way into Pabbie's hut and saw the old troll laying out several jars filled with strange looking pastes and herbs. He heard the Princess enter and gave her a smile.

"Ah, there you are. Please, sit down." He gestured toward a small bed of grass. Anna sat, and Pabbie stretched out her arm to examine the cut.

"You seem to be somewhat prone to injury, Princess. The ice in your heart, the crossbow bolts, and now this." He sounded more concerned than anything else.

Anna blushed. "I've always been clumsy."

Pabbie smiled. "Not to worry. I can fix this up in no time." He opened on of the small jars and smeared a thick purple goo onto the cut, before reaching into another jar and sprinkling a very fine powder on top, the smell of which burned Anna's nostrils. Finally, he waved a hand over her arm. She heard a sizzling sound as smoke began to rise from her arm.

"What the-"

"It's alright, Princess." Pabbie said. The smoke had cleared, and all that was left of the jagged wound was a pale pink impression of it on her forearm.

"I'm afraid, my dear, that there is nothing I can do about the scarring."

"That's fine. You've done more than enough. I never did thank you for saving me the other day."

Pabbie smiled humbly. "It was your friend Galdur who saved you from the icy water. I simply treated your wounds and warmed you by the fire. Although it did take some time to get you here. Elsa told me that Galdur collapsed several times on the way here."

"Nevertheless, thank you, Pabbie."

"You're quite welcome, my dear. I do pride myself on my healing abilities, and both you and the baby seem to doing just fine."

Anna smiled. "Well, I-"

Her heart stopped, and there was a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach as she processed what Pabbie had just said.

"Wait, _what? **BABY?**_"

Pabbie looked shocked. "I'm sorry Princess, I thought you knew."

Anna hadn't heard him. She counted backward in her head, then counted again. The last time she and Kristoff had been together was the night he had been killed. That was over a month ago. With everything that had happened, she hadn't noticed. Hadn't realized. Her blood ran cold as she laid a hand on her stomach.

"I- I'm pregnant?"

* * *

Hans felt the gentle rocking of the waves beneath him. His small ship was crudely constructed of a large piece of hull and a tattered sail that fluttered gently in the breeze. Next to him were the few things he had managed to gather from the wreck: a crossbow, three bolts and a small dagger.

As far as he could tell, he was the only survivor. All that was left of either crew was bodies in the water, and a destroyed ship.

The only thing that had stopped him from throwing himself beneath the icy waves was his rage. That _whore _Elsa had stopped his plans for the last time. He was going to return to his kingdom and rally his father's army. He would call the supporters of the the Southern Isles to his side, and with their combined forces, he would crush Queen Elsa once and for all. Hans smiled as the wind picked up and filled his sail.

Every gust brought him closer to his vengeance.

* * *

**a/n: Well, Sunday seems to be my update day, so that's what I'll be rolling with i guess. Also, this chapter gets me past the 25k mark! *Fist pump!* Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, pretty please show your support by leaving a review, and maybe throwing a follow or a favorite my way. Thanks guys!  
**

**Just in case you were wondering, the next chapter (or the one after it, haven't decided yet) will explain how Anna feels about this development. Told you Kristoff had a part to play. **

**Cheesepuffs. **

**P.S.: I saw that I lost a follower the other day. I cried :'(**


	13. Chapter 12

**a/n: This chapter will be a Hans chapter. I hate him as much as you do, but trust me, it's for a reason. Enjoy! Oh, and I hope you liked the Anna cliffhanger. Hehehe.**

***Do you wanna leave a review? I'd really love it guys, so please do! GO AWAY CHEESEPUFFS! Ok bye...* **

* * *

Chapter 12

Hans took a bite of the fish he was eating. He hated raw fish. But seeing as he was floating on a raft on the open ocean, his choices were limited to eating raw fish or starving to death. He had been adrift for three days, and although there was plenty of food (shooting fish with a crossbow was harder than he thought), water was virtually non-existent. Having not seen a single ship yet, his resolve was starting to diminish. What if nobody passed by? Hans didn't intend to die like this, dying of thirst in the middle of the ocean. But when faced with the forces of nature, his intentions meant next to nothing.

He thought about Anna. With his luck, those two bolts he put in her, plus the icy water, wouldn't have been enough to kill the bitch. For all he knew, she was with her sister in Arendelle. As if taking them down individually wasn't hard enough! Hans made a mental note not to mention her escape to his father. He knew his chances of getting his father's support were slim as it was, but if he found out that Hans had let a woman escape his custody, he would never give him the authority he needed. King Walder wasn't the type of man to give up easily. Hans knew that the king would appoint one of his brothers to head the mission, and Hans would be shoved to the sidelines once again.

Hans felt a flare of anger at that thought. He had had enough of watching as his brothers claimed all the glory, while he was forced to watch from afar and wallow in his self pity. He had twelve older brothers, and eleven of them had either married into their own kingdoms, or been appointed to rule lands that King Walder had conquered. Only the second youngest brother, Claus, still resided in the Southern Isles with their father. He would most likely be chosen to replace Hans if King Walder decided not to give Hans what he needed to invade Arendelle.

Hans took another bite. He _really _hated raw fish.

* * *

Later that night, Hans rolled over for the thousandth time, trying to find the most comfortable section of wood to lie on. This was by far the worst part of his situation, lying awake at night, unable to sleep, shivering and alone with his thoughts. That, and the huge lumps that always seemed to find a way to stick into his back. His thirst didn't help much either.

With an annoyed grunt, he rolled over again and spotted something in the distance. The familiar shapes of a ships sails were outlined against the moonlit sky, and his heart leapt when he saw that the ship was headed in his direction. He jumped up and began waving his arms frantically.

"HEY! HELP ME! HELP!"

His shouting must have caught someone's attention, because he heard the faint ringing of a bell coming from the direction of the ship. He kept shouting and waving his arms as the ship drew closer and closer, until it was right next to his small raft. It was a small schooner with the name _The Surly Mermaid _painted on the hull. A small rope ladder was tossed over the side. Hans climbed it, swung his legs over the railing and was greeted by the sight of a small crew of no more than six people.

A tall man with a scraggly grey beard stepped forward and held out his hand. Hans took it and shook.

"Welcome aboard, son. Name's Aaron. I'm the captain of this fine vessel, and this here's my crew." He waved his hand at the crew. "How long you been adrift for?"

Hans cleared his throat. "Three days."

Captain Aaron's eyes widened. "Three days? Gods, you're lucky we found you when we did. Agnar!" He turned to address one of his crewmen. "Get some water for the poor fellow."

The crewman nodded and rushed off below decks. "Whereabouts are you from, son?" Captain Aaron asked him.

Hans noticed the flag the ship was flying. It bore the golden sun of Corona.

_Damn, _he thought.

Thinking fast, he said "A small village, few days south of Corona. Heard of Albjerg?"

"Aye, I've heard of it. What are you doing so far up north?"

"I was sailing on a trade ship, heading up the coast to trade with the fishing villages when we were attacked by pirates. Caught us by surprise in the middle of the night. They took the ship and what cargo we had aboard, then tied those of us that they hadn't killed to the ship and fired on it. I managed to get free and escape, but not everyone was so lucky."

Captain Aaron clapped him on the shoulder. "My deepest sympathies, lad. Pirates are a bloody menace." The crewman had returned with a tankard filled with water, which Hans gulped down quickly. "Tell you what, son. We're headed back south right now. If you like, you can help crew my ship. In return, when we get back to Corona, I'll give you fair pay, as well as enough gold to book passage back to Albjerg. What say you?"

Hans gave a weak chuckle. "Well, if it's a choice between that and getting back on that godforsaken raft, I'll take you up on your offer."

"Brilliant!" Aaron clapped him on the shoulder again. "We'll drop anchor here for tonight. Men, show our new friend to the crew quarters and turn in. We set sail at dawn." He turned to head to the captain's quarters, but stopped and turned.

"I almost forgot, lad. What's your name?"

Hans' breath caught in his throat. He couldn't give his real name. Surely these men, coming from Corona, had heard of the Southern prince that had raided the castle. He didn't particularly want to be killed by these people, so he gave the first name he could think of.

"Kristoff. My name's Kristoff."

* * *

"Rise and shine!"

Hans felt his hammock being turned over, and he hit the deck with a thud. Looking up, he saw that he had been woken by a young man, no more than twenty years old. He had light brown hair covered by a green bandana, and bright blue eyes. He laughed and held his hand out to Hans.

"Morning, Kristoff." he said. "Get enough beauty sleep? I know these hammocks aren't very comfortable."

"It's certainly a welcome change from sleeping on hard wood." Hans said. He took the boys hand and stood up.

"I'll bet. Come on, it's time for breakfast."

Hans' stomach rumbled as he followed the boy to the kitchens. They took a plate of bread and cheese each, as well as a mug of beer and sat down on the small table with the rest of the crew. Hans was met with several mumbled greetings. He sat down next to the boy and started eating.

"Let me introduce the rest of the crew, Kristoff." He pointed them out one by one. "This is Agnar, Mekal, Benn and Markus. Captain still sleeping, I suppose?" he asked them. They grunted in reply. "Typical. He's a fair enough captain, and a damn nice fellow, but you won't find a lazier bastard under the sun." Hans took a gulp of beer. "I'm Astrid, by the way."

"Astrid? That's an odd name for a young man."

The boys eyes narrowed. "I agree. Good thing I'm a girl then, eh?" The crew began to laugh.

"Sorry. It's just, the way you dress, and you don't find many ladies on ships these days. Most are too superstitious to bring them aboard."

Astrid took a bite of bread. "Ah, don't worry yourself over it. Truth be told, the only reason I'm here's because Captain Aaron is my uncle. I always wanted to be a sailor, and after my parents died, he took me in." She punched Hans lightly on the arm. "And I'm not a lady."

Hans drained his mug and set it down with a satisfied sigh. "Bread and cheese is definitely better than three days of raw fish." he said, patting his stomach.

The rest of the crew finished their food and stood. Markus gave a deep chuckle. "Aye, I reckon it would be. Astrid, find the lad a change of clothes before we head up, will you? Poor buggers clothes are filthy."

"Right you are, Markus." She grabbed Hans' hand and dragged him off again.

Fifteen minutes and a new set of clothes later, Hans walked up into the main deck. Looking up at the sky, he saw that it was just an hour or two past dawn. The rest of the crew moved about the deck, attending to their duties. Astrid stood beside Hans.

"How much experience do you have with ships, Kristoff?"

"Been on them since I was five years old."

"On the wheel, then."

Hans looked at her. "What was that?"

She smiled. "As first mate, I hold command in the captain's absence. On the wheel, Kristoff."

Hans nodded and went to the helm. He took the wheel and saw the crew watching him, waiting for orders.

"Full sail!" he yelled.

The ship lurched forward, and Hans steered them on course. It was easy enough. All he had to do was keep the coast on their left side.

Astrid stood beside him. "She's a fine vessel, isn't she? Captain Aaron bought her not three months ago, brand new."

"She's beautiful." Hans remarked, looking at Astrid. She blushed. "So do we have any stops scheduled before Corona?"

"Aye, only one. A small town, not too far from here. Aaron has a buyer there for some of the fish we got from up north. We should be there tomorrow, and after that, it's straight on to Corona."

"Astrid, rouse the captain, will ye?" Markus yelled to her. "We got some busted crates in the cargo hold. Need to know if he wants us to throw them overboard or not."

Astrid sighed and pulled a key from her pocket, which Hans assumed was the key to the captain's quarters. "You alright on your own for a moment, Kristoff?"

"Sure."

"Wonderful." she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Hans turned his attention back to steering the ship so that Astrid wouldn't catch sight of his malicious grin.

A plan was already forming in his mind.

* * *

That night, during dinner, Hans had intentionally taken the seat next to Astrid. Amidst the laughing, drinking and singing, nobody had noticed that he had been stealthily inching closer to her. Everyone else had drank several mugs of beer, but Hans was still on his first.

As Astrid finished her fourth drink, she nudged Hans in the ribs. Their eyes met, and she jerked her thumb over her shoulder with a smile. Hans grinned, and they both got up from the table and headed up to the main deck.

The cool night air filled Hans' lungs as he stepped up onto the deck and took a deep breath. He had always loved the smell of the ocean.

The two leaned against the railing of the ship and stared out over the water.

"Had to get away from that lot." Astrid said. "They're never usually that loud."

Hans grunted in acknowledgement. He suspected that wasn't the reason that she brought him up here.

"So, Kristoff, tell me about you."

"_Shit," _he thought.

Hans cleared his throat. "Not much to tell, really."

Astrid furrowed her brow. "There must be something."

Hans shrugged.

"How about this. I'll ask you a question about yourself, then you ask me one, then me, then- well, you understand."

"Alright then. Ask away."

Astrid tapped her fingers thoughtfully on the railing for a moment. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven."

Astrid smiled. "See, not so hard, is it? Now you."

Hans sighed and thought for a moment. "What's your favorite color?" was all he could think of.

"Blue. Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

Deciding to play along, Hans straightened and gave her a disapproving look. "One question at a time."

"Fine, hurry up and ask me something then."

"How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-three."

Hans smiled. "_Now _it's your turn."

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Twelve."

Astrid's eyes widened. "_Twelve?_"

"That's right. All brothers. And I'm the youngest."

"You poor man."

Hans waved his hand to dismiss her comment. "You get used to it."

"I suppose." She rested her chin on her arms. "It's your turn."

"What happened to your parents?"

Astrid straightened and turned around with a sigh.

"I'm sorry." Hans said quickly. "You don't have to talk about it."

"It's fine." she said, taking a deep breath. "When I was five, our village was raided by pirates. We lived up on a hill overlooking the town, so ours was the last house that they got to. Mother told me to hide, and not to make a sound. So I did. And I watched as the pirates came into our house and slaughtered my father like an animal while they made her watch. Then they cut her throat and left her to die."

"So how did you end up with your uncle?"

"The survivors of the raid gathered in the town and decided to move on. I was with them. We gathered what we could and moved to a village not too far away, where my uncle lived. He heard what happened and took me in without a second thought. I've been with him ever since."

Hans reached out and took her hand. "I'm sorry. I lost my mother when I was young, too. And my father... Well, he was never the same."

Astrid smiled at him, wiping a tear from her eye. "It's good to finally talk to someone about it, you know? Keeping something like that bottled up inside can get to be too much after while."

"I know exactly what you mean."

Astrid leaned back against the railing of the ship and moved slightly closer to Hans. "I suppose it's my turn, isn't it?" Hans nodded. "Let me think... When was your first time with a woman?"

Hans was taken aback by the sudden change in the conversation. "I, uh..." he coughed. "I was sixteen, I think."

"Who was she?"

"Just a girl from a farmhouse, not too far away from where we lived."

"Fair enough then. Your turn." She moved closer to him.

"Why do you ask?"

Without replying, Astrid suddenly kissed him full on the lips. Hans was startled at first, but after a moment, he returned the kiss. It lasted several moments, and they both pulled away out of breath.

"Because," she whispered in his ear, "I wanted to know if I was going to be your first."

Hans was confused, until she pulled back and winked at him. She grabbed his hand and led him below decks, past the crew quarters and into one of the small cabins that were usually reserved for passengers. She pulled him inside and shut the door behind them.

A few hours later, Hans lay awake, the room dimly lit by the light of the moon. Astrid was asleep beside him, nestled into the crook of his left arm.

Hans smiled to himself. How stupid could you get? Astrid had believed everything he told her without question. He had intended to seduce her, of course, but hadn't expected her to be the one to make the first move. _"Oh well. Less work for me." _he thought. Safely tucked away in his pocket was the key to the captain's quarters, which he had managed to steal when Astrid fell asleep. His smile grew.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

**a/n: Aren't you guys lucky? You get an update a day early! I spoil you. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. If you did, leave a review telling me what you think. And if you didn't like it, you can also leave a review. **

**LEAVE A REVIEW. **

**By the way, if you think that Hans is a little OOC in this chapter, that's because he's acting. Acting, guys. **

**Cheesepuffs.**


	14. Chapter 13

**a/n: What's up, guys? I thought it'd be fun to let you know that I started this chapter at 3 a.m on Thursday. I usually start on Mondays, but I had a little bit of a block. Anyway, here's chapter (eerie music) THIRTEEEEEEN! **

**Oh by the way, the town that Hans and the crew arrive at in this chapter is the same town that Anna was at in Chapters 7 and 8. Just FYI. **

* * *

Chapter 13

Hans was awoken by a loud bang. His head shot up from the pillow to see Markus standing in the doorway of the small room, having opened the door loudly. When Markus saw that Hans and Astrid were in the same bed with clothes strewn everywhere, his mouth curled into a smile.

"Roped you in, did she?" he laughed. "Come on, lad. We need you up on deck. We'll be docking soon. You too, Astrid."

With a final smirk and a shake of his head, Markus left the two of them to get dressed. Astrid sat up and stretched, causing the blanket to fall off of her upper body, revealing her small, perky breasts. She caught Hans staring and shoved his shoulder lightly.

"Morning." she said with a yawn.

"Morning." Hans leaned over and kissed her. She returned the kiss with vigor, pushing Hans back down and rolling on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. Astrid pulled away from the kiss and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Think we have time?"

Hans gave her one last kiss then sat up. Astrid yelped in surprise as she suddenly found herself seated in his lap.

"Probably not. They're bound to come back if we don't get up there soon. And I don't know how your uncle is going to feel about this, if Markus tells him."

Astrid sighed. "Good point. Come on then, lets get dressed." They got out of bed and hunted for their respective articles of clothing. It took them five minutes to find everything, and Astrid was left without her left sock.

"Next time," she said as they headed up to the main deck, "let's pay attention to where we throw our clothes."

They stepped up onto the deck, blinking a few times in the bright sun. Captain Aaron was at the helm.

"Get enough beauty sleep, you two?" he said with a chuckle. "Come on, I need you to help bring the ship into port."

Hans and Astrid grinned at each other, then went about their duties.

About fifteen minutes later, the ship was docked, with the crew and other men bringing up crates and barrels from the cargo hold. Captain Aaron was standing on the docks, speaking with a merchant about payment.

Hans and Markus carried a particularly large crate onto the dock, setting it down with a grunt.

"Captain must really like you, lad." he said with a smile. "He won't let any of us go near her."

"Excuse me?"

"You think he's a fool, boy? He knows what you two got up to last night."

"I... uh..."

Markus clapped him on the back. "Don't worry yourself, lad. He likes you, which means he won't have you thrown overboard before we get to Corona. Might even let you stay on with us, if you like."

Hans smiled. "I'd like that." he lied.

Captain Aaron strolled over to them. "Kristoff, the lads and I are headed up to the tavern for a drink. You coming?"

Hans gave a mental cheer. This was perfect!

"Uh, no thanks. I'll stay here with the ship."

"Right you are. Markus, you coming?"

"O'course I am!" The two of them went on their way, followed by Benn, Mekal and Agnar. Astrid was suddenly beside Hans, leaning on a wooden pole.

"Aren't you going with them?" Hans asked.

She shook her head. "Nah, they don't need my help to pick fights in some tavern. I'd rather stay here with you." She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked into his eyes, biting her lip seductively. "Do you want to-"

Hans cut her off with a kiss. "Yes." he breathed.

With a mischievous grin, she grabbed his hand and led him below deck, back to the cabin they had woken up in. Not bothering to close the door this time, she pushed Hans against the wall and began kissing him fiercely.

Not one to be outdone, Hans spun them around, pressed her against the wall and began kissing her neck. She moaned and tilted her head to give him better access, giving a quiet groan when she felt Hans' teeth sink into the sensitive flesh.

Hans pulled away, out of breath and looked Astrid in the eyes. Her chest was heaving, and her eyes displayed nothing but lust. He brought one hand up to gently caress the side of her face.

Then, grabbing a handful of her hair, he slammed her head into the wall.

She fell to the floor, unconscious. Hans straightened up and smoothed his clothes, then went to the cargo hold and retrieved a length of rope. He used it to tie Astrid's hands and feet together, then gagged her for good measure before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"_Stupid bitch," _he thought as he headed up to the main deck. Using the key he stole from Astrid the night before, he unlocked the door to Captain Aaron's quarters and went inside.

It was nothing spectacular, just a large feather bed next to a nightstand. There was a chest at the foot of the bed, which Hans tried to open. It was locked. He slid the key into the lock, and turned it with a _click. _He lifted the lid and looked in side.

"Well, that was easy." he said to himself. He was greeted by a multitude of gold, copper and silver coins. Picking up a large coin purse from the nightstand, he filled it to bursting with coins, then left the room. He locked the door behind him and left the ship, tapping a small man on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Excuse me," Hans asked. "Where can I find the Harbourmaster?"

"You've found him. What can I do for you, lad?" he said, extending a hand.

Hans shook it. "I'm looking to book passage to the Southern Isles. You wouldn't happen to know of a ship that can take me there, would you?"

The man smiled. "You're in luck, lad. See that ship there?" he pointed to a large frigate anchored out at sea. "She's headed there now. There's the captain if you want to enquire about booking passage." he pointed out a tall, thin man with a large scar across his left cheek who was loading men and boxes into a small boat.

"Many thanks, sir."

He grunted in reply. Hans made his way to the tall man. "Excuse me, sir."

He turned and faced Hans. "Yes?"

"I'm looking for passage to the Southern Isles. I was told that you were headed that way."

He nodded. "Aye, I am."

"How much?"

The man scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... How does fifteen silvers sound?"

"Perfect." Hans retrieved the coins and handed them to him.

The man counted them out. "Welcome aboard, lad." he said with a smile. "You're just in time, too. We're heading back to the ship now. Name's Gideon, by the way."

"Kristoff."

"Good strong name, that is. Well," he said, gesturing to the boat tied to the dock, "climb in, lad. Men, make room." The sailors already in the boat shifted to make room for Hans.

As the boat moved out to sea, Hans looked back toward Captain Aaron's ship. To his surprise, he felt a small twinge of guilt. Those people had been good to him, rescued him and given him food and shelter. And Astrid...

He quickly shoved those thoughts away. He needed to focus on getting home, and convincing his father to invade Arendelle.

That bitch Elsa had disrupted his plans for too long. He had failed too many times. But not again.

Never again.

* * *

Anna watched as Olaf dashed here and there, finding things to dig out of the snow to show her. She had decided to go for a walk down the mountain, and found it impossible to refuse Olaf's pleas to accompany her. The trolls were very friendly, but the Princess had felt the need to be on her own for a while. She was reminded that her plan had failed when Olaf showed her the same two-pronged icicle for the fourth time in a row.

It had been three days since Anna found out she was pregnant, and she still hadn't told Elsa. She didn't know why, but it was just something she felt like she needed to keep to herself, at least for the time being.

Anna had had plenty of practice concealing her emotions from Kristoff, so Elsa hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. She had, however, become slightly less social with Anna, and at one point it seemed as though Elsa was intentionally avoiding her. The night that Pabbie had told her about her baby, Anna and Elsa had made plans to visit Elsa's ice palace the next day. The next morning when Anna woke up, however, the trolls had told her that her sister had left without her. Initially wanting to make the trip there on her own, a particularly harsh snowstorm had prevented her from doing so. When she had returned, Elsa had apologized profusely, stating that "There was something I needed to do on my own."

This made Anna believe that Elsa was hiding something from her. She had immediately wanted to confront her about it, but a little voice in the back of her head told her that even if her suspicions were correct, Elsa wasn't the only one keeping secrets.

Anna still wasn't completely sure how she felt about having a baby. Although she tried her best to hide it, she was still wracked with guilt over Kristoff's death. This child would be a constant reminder of what she had done, how she had lied and used him. But at the same time, Anna felt as though she owed it to Kristoff to have his child. Kristoff was dead, but wouldn't having some small part of him brought back into the world make up for it that in some way? Anna was torn between doing what she thought was easy and what she knew was right.

Elsa was another matter entirely. Anna was happier than she had been in years when it came to her sister. They had spent most of their lives barely seeing each other, and Anna had always related Elsa to feelings of sadness and rejection. But Elsa had changed in the years since Anna had seen her. She seemed happier and more confident with herself. The night of Elsa's coronation was the first time Anna had heard her sister laugh in over a decade, and now it was a sound that could be heard several times a day, whether it be a girlish hand-over-the-mouth giggle at one of Anna's more klutzy moments, or a hearty clutching-at-her-stomach guffaw at one of Galdur's many stories.

"Olaf, I think we should head back. It's starting to get dark." Anna called out.

Olaf looked up from the small mound of snow he had been intently examining. "Ok Anna!" he ran back to her and grasped her hand. "Do you know how to get back? It's this way!" he said, pointing further down the mountain. "Or maybe this way..."

"I know how to get back, Olaf." Anna giggled. Olaf always helped cheer her up.

"Oh, good! Then, uh... could you tell me? Because I have no idea."

Anna shook her head and pointed in the direction they needed to go. "That way."

"Thanks!" he said, skipping ahead and stopping here and there to look at something new.

Anna shivered from the cold and quickened her pace. "Don't get too far ahead, Olaf!"

"I won't!"

Anna resumed her train of thought. When Pabbie had seen how shocked and concerned Anna was about being pregnant, he had advised her to listen to her heart, but not to make any hasty decisions. Anna had been thinking about what course of action to take practically non stop for the past three days, and because of that, she didn't think that anything she decided to do would be considered hasty. Maybe she _should _tell Elsa about her baby. Anna had no idea what she should do, and heavens knew that she could use some help figuring it out.

Anna decided. Elsa had to know. She was going to find out eventually, so why not sooner rather than later? Besides, Anna felt that she was too conflicted and confused to make the decision whether or not to have her child on her own.

As they arrived back in the troll village, Olaf ran off to show some of his discoveries to the trolls, and Anna saw that Galdur was immersed in conversation with Pabbie, but Elsa was nowhere to be found. She approached the two and cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, but have either of you seen Elsa? I need to speak with her urgently."

Galdur raised a hand to his chin. "If I remember right, she said something about heading up to her palace. Left not too long after you did, M'lady."

Anna smiled. "Thank you, Galdur. And please, call me Anna."

"As you wish, M'lady."

Anna rolled her eyes, and with a nod and a smile at Pabbie, set off in the direction of Elsa's palace.

Pabbie caught her hand to stop her. "Princess, you aren't going there yourself, are you?" he asked, looking concerned. "It's getting dark, and there is a storm coming. I can feel it."

"I'm sorry Pabbie, but it's extremely urgent."

"Please, Anna. I'm sure she'll be back soon. Couldn't it wait until then?"

The elderly troll's eyes were showing genuine concern, and Anna knew that he was trying to look out for both her and her baby.

"Very well. I'll wait until she get's back."

"Thank you, Princess."

Anna went into the small hut that she slept in and laid down on her bed of grass. She must have dozed off, because she was awoken by Olaf shaking her arm.

"Anna, wake up! Elsa brought Marshmallow to visit us!"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Elsa's back?" she mumbled sleepily. "How long was I asleep for?"

"Only about an hour." Olaf said. "Now come on, lets go say hi to Marshmallow! I'm sure he missed you." He dashed out of the hut, and Anna followed him.

She was greeted by the sight of many of the younger trolls hesitantly gathering around a large mound of snow. One of them tiptoed up to it and poked it with a stick. The mound sprang to life, taking the shape of a huge snow golem. It roared at the little trolls, and they ran away giggling. Elsa and Galdur, who were observing the whole scene, both laughed as well. Marshmallow began chasing the little trolls, almost knocking Anna over in the process. Anna made her way over to her sister.

"Hey there, sleepyhead." Elsa said, wrapping Anna in a tight hug. Anna halfheartedly returned it.

"Elsa," she said quietly. "We need to talk."

* * *

**a/n: This one was a bitch to write. I don't even know why, but I've just felt absolutely wiped out this week. I had to force myself to stay up to finish this chapter. That's just how much i love you guys. For those of you who are sick of Hans content, (My girlfriend among them), next chapter will focus solely on the sisters. So both you and I will be able to get our fix of my favorite (sob) fictional girls. **

**Please, if you like this story, leave a review. I love reading them. **

**Cheesepuffs. **


	15. Chapter 14

**a/n: 81 followers. Holy. Tap dancing. Christ. I'm so freaking happy about this! Thanks so much, guys! You're so fucking awesome. There are 81 people actually taking the time out of their lives to read something i have written, and that's insane! I love you all. (No homo). **

**Just kidding. ALL OF THE HOMO! **

**(Warning: Mention of suicidal thoughts.) I don't know if there is enough to warrant a warning, but just in case, there you go.**

* * *

Chapter 14

"We need to talk."

Elsa pulled back from the hug, holding her sister at arms length. Seeing that Anna was obviously quite troubled, Elsa's expression grew concerned.

"Anna, what it it? What's wrong?"

Anna bit her lip, unsure of where to start. "Can we go somewhere more private?" she asked. Olaf ran between them, and the sisters had to jump apart as he was closely followed by Marshmallow.

Elsa smiled weakly, trying to lighten the mood. "Sure." she said, leading Anna to the hut that they shared. As they sat down on the soft grass, Elsa grew more concerned. Anna's bottom lip was quivering, as though she was going to burst into tears at any moment. The thought of Anna crying made Elsa's own eyes sting. She had noticed the change in her sister in the days since the had been reunited. This person who was once bubbly and happy, able to lighten the atmosphere of even the dullest of situations with merely her presence had been reduced to a quiet, timid girl who barely spoke unless spoken to first. All because of one person. Elsa felt a surge of rage at Hans. She had promised herself that she would end him. And Elsa kept her promises. _  
_

"Anna, what's wrong?"

Anna said nothing. Elsa reached a hand out and gently grasped her sister's shaking hand. "Please, Anna. Talk to me."

Anna tightened her grip on Elsa's hand. "I... Kristoff and I... and now I'm..." She couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence.

"Just start from the beginning." Elsa said gently.

Taking a deep breath, Anna tried to think of where to start.

"After Kristoff and I left for Corona, we were... together. I mean, we lived together, but we were also together in... you know, _that _way."

"You slept together?" Elsa's voice cracked. Her hand left Anna's.

Anna nodded. "The last time was the night he was..." Anna took another deep breath, trying to hold back the tears. "The night he was killed. About a week before I left, and about a month before I got here. And the other day when I cut myself on the rocks, Pabbie told me that I'm... I'm..."

"You're what?"

Anna looked her sister in the eye and felt a single tear roll down her cheek.

"I'm pregnant."

Elsa was stunned. Pregnant? Anna was pregnant? She and Kristoff had... been together. Elsa didn't know what to say. Anna was obviously very upset about this, so Elsa forced a smile and tried to cheer her up.

"Anna, that's-" Her voice cracked again, and she cleared her throat. "That's great. You're going to be a mother!"

Anna's eyes hardened. "Elsa, what are you talking about? This is NOT great! How am I going to raise a child here? I'd have to leave Arendelle." She sniffled and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know what to do."

Elsa was immersed in her own thoughts. She had considered the possibility of Anna and Kristoff being together, but she had always hoped that that wasn't the case. But now her fears had been realized.

"_Anna loves him." _she thought. "_He's dead and she loves him. And now she's carrying his child!" _Her heart sank, but she forced herself to keep smiling.

"Lets not worry about it tonight, okay? Get some sleep, and we can talk about it in the morning."

Anna nodded. "Alright." She climbed under her blanket and settled into the bed of soft grass. As Elsa got up to leave, Anna grabbed her hand.

"You're not staying?"

Elsa squeezed her sister's hand reassuringly. "No, I'm going to stay up for a while. I... I have some thinking to do." She leaned over and kissed Anna's forehead. "Goodnight, Anna."

"Night, Elsa."

As Elsa left the hut, she heard Anna whisper something that stopped her in her tracks and made her heart skip a beat.

"I love you."

* * *

Elsa pulled aside the curtain hanging over the doorway to Bulda's tent. The female troll caught sight of her, and a broad smile lit up her face.

"Come in, your highness, come in!" she said, grabbing Elsa by the hand and pulling her inside. "Can I get you anything? Some tea? Rock cakes?"

Elsa smiled politely. It felt very forced. "No thank you, Bulda. I'm sorry for visiting you so late, but I needed to talk to someone." She sat down on the floor of the small hut.

"No trouble, no trouble at all! Now then, what can I do for you?"

Elsa cleared her throat nervously. "I wanted to talk to you about Anna, actually. She seems... troubled."

Bulda's smile faded slightly. "Ah, yes. Grand Pabbie told me about her pregnancy. No doubt it must be difficult for her, after the death of my dear Kristoff."

Elsa was surprised. The trolls had been saddened by the news of Kristoff's death, of course. But not nearly as much as she had expected. Pabbie had explained to her that they believed that death was a part of life, and life itself was a wonderful thing. They would all see him again in the next life, so why waste time being upset about it?

"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking." she said. "Is there anything you could do to help her?"

Bulda shook her head. "I'm afraid, my dear, if there does exist a cure for a sad soul, I don't have it. The only remedy I can suggest is time."

Elsa nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Bulda." She stood to leave.

"Your highness, if I may, Anna is not the only one who seems troubled. I've noticed a change in you since she returned."

Elsa sat back down. "W-What do you mean?"

"Well, it is quite obvious that you love your sister. It seems to me that her sadness has had an impact on you."

"Of course it has! I haven't seen her in almost half a decade!" Elsa said. "And before that, I barely spoke to her for thirteen years. Now I finally get to see her, spend time with her and try to be a sister to her, and it's like I barely know her! She's a completely different person, because of that bastard Hans, and... Because of me." She stood began pacing back and forth, wringing her hands anxiously. "I stayed here to protect her, but I never thought about the impact it might have on her. Maybe if she had have known I was alive... No, then it would have been no different than before."

Bulda saw how upset she was. "My dear, you did the best you could with what you had. There's no use brooding on the past. We can only look to future."

"But it's my fault! Everything! If I hadn't struck her with my powers when we were children, none of this would have ever happened! The coronation, the ice in her heart... Hans. And now this. No matter what I do, I always end up hurting her."

"You mustn't blame yourself, you majesty. Everything happens for a reason." Bulda said.

Elsa felt her anger grow. "What reason?" she shouted. "What reason could there be for all this? For me to learn to control my powers?"

Elsa didn't fear her powers anymore, but that didn't mean she felt any better about them. Every time she created something, every single time she used her powers, she was reminded of what they had caused. All the pain and sadness that had come to her family, Anna and their parents, was because of Elsa's powers.

"No, Elsa, I don't believe that's the reason. You tried for most of your life to separate yourself from Anna, but you failed. You stayed here, away from her, from four years, but here she is yet again. Perhaps everything that has happened to you, to her and to your family has happened because the two of you aren't _meant _to be apart."

"But whenever we are together, I hurt her! This is the first time we've been together in years, and she almost died getting here!"

Bulda took the Queen's hand gently. "That was no fault of yours, Elsa. And I know that isn't what you came here to talk to me about."

Elsa was startled by how perceptive the female troll was. The truth was, that wasn't what was troubling her. Not at the moment, anyway.

"So tell me, my dear. What did bring you to me tonight?"

Elsa took a deep breath and wondered where to begin. "It's... Anna. Her pregnancy."

"What about it?"

"I... It's hard to explain." she said nervously.

Bulda smiled in a gentle, motherly way. "If you don't want to talk about it, dear-"

"No!" Elsa interrupted her. "No, I do. I need to talk to someone about it, I just can't think where to start." Elsa slumped and let out a sigh. Dancing around it wouldn't help, and she was doing a terrible job of trying to make sense of it to Bulda. Hell, she herself didn't even understand it. Taking a deep breath, Elsa closed her eyes, mustered her courage and just came out with it.

"I love her." she blurted out.

Bulda said nothing at first, and Elsa opened one eye the tiniest amount. She was met with Bulda's confused face.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, your majesty. She IS your sister, after all. Why would your love for her bother you?"

Elsa let out a frustrated groan, directed more at herself than Bulda. "No, you don't understand! I... I'm IN love with her!"

"Oh... OH!" Bulda said with a broad smile. "Well, that's wonderful!"

Whatever she had expected, be it shock, disgust, or even anger, Elsa certainly hadn't expected this. Bulda looked positively overjoyed.

"Wonderful? What do you mean wonderful? Bulda, we're _sisters_! Sisters aren't meant to feel this way about one another!"

Elsa had known for some time that what she felt for Anna was more than sisterly affection. The years they had spent apart were filled with nothing but fear and hatred and sorrow, turning Elsa's life into a dark pit of despair. The only light in that darkness had been Anna. Through all the rejection and shunning that Elsa had thrown her way, Anna hadn't given up on her big sister. She had always tried to bring Elsa back. Her attempts to coax Elsa out of her bedroom with stories of her adventures that day, usually consisting of wreaking havoc in the castle, or with promises of chocolate or fun had always brought a smile to the face of the sad little girl hidden away in her room. If not for Anna, that sad little girl would have thrown herself from a tower long ago.

Elsa had always loved her, but she also felt a fierce determination to do whatever it took to protect her. With this resolve, there was also a desire, a conflicting need to be close to Anna that had only worsened Elsa's control over her powers. The night of her coronation, Elsa had been both excited and terrified at the prospect of seeing Anna again, the latter of the two emotions holding sway over the other. Of course, fate had seen fit to send her a grim reminder of what she was capable of, by means of Elsa losing control at the party, and after that, when she had frozen Anna's heart.

When Hans had told her that Anna was dead, Elsa felt like her entire world had been shattered. Anna, her reason for living, was gone. Gone forever, and she was to blame. That kind of devastation threatened to destroy a person completely. But she was alive, and Elsa would have willingly given her life to save Anna. That had been her intention, of course. In the seconds she had to reflect upon what she had done after being impaled on that sword, Elsa had not expected to survive. But Anna was alive, and that was all that mattered to her.

Anna was the reason she had stayed in Arendelle, to learn to control her powers. Elsa had promised herself that Anna would not be hurt by her powers a third time, and Elsa always kept her promises. But perhaps Bulda was right. Perhaps, even after everything that had happened, Elsa and Anna weren't meant to be apart.

"My dear, love is love, no matter where it comes from. But, forgive me, I'm afraid I don't see what this has to do with Princess Anna's pregnancy."

"She's pregnant with _Kristoff's _child, Bulda!" Elsa cried. "Can't you see that she still loves him, even though he's... gone? And even if she were to understand the way I feel about her, she could never feel the same way." Elsa suddenly let out a high pitched laugh, completely devoid of humor and began pacing back and forth, running her fingers through her hair. "Listen to me! Four years with nobody for company but trolls and a living snowman has driven me insane!"

"Elsa, please listen to me. Love is a very powerful thing. More powerful than even your magic." Bulda smiled. "When it is real, and strong, it finds a way. And," she added, "As a love expert myself, I can tell that your love for your sister is strong enough to overcome anything."

Elsa took several deep breaths and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Bulda. But what should I do? Should I tell Anna? she asked. "How do you even tell someone something like that? She is already going through so much, and I couldn't bear upsetting her further."

"I think you should listen to your heart, your majesty." Bulda said. "It always knows what to do."

"Thank you. I'm sorry for keeping you for so long, but I needed to speak to someone about this." Elsa stood to leave. "I think it's time I went to bed."

"No need to be sorry, your highness. I'm happy to help." she moved to the doorway and pulled the curtain aside. "Sleep well."

With a final smile, Elsa left the hut and made her way through the quiet and deserted village, hearing Galdur's roaring snores as she passed his hut. As she entered her and Anna's hut, she was surprised to see her sister sit upright when she spotted Elsa.

"Anna, what are you still doing up?" Elsa asked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I waited for you. Where did you go?"

"I went to talk to Bulda about... something." Elsa said hesitantly.

Anna cocked an eyebrow. "About what?"

Elsa settled into her bed. "Maybe I'll tell you one day." She yawned. "But not today."

Anna pouted. "Fine." She rolled over, turning her back to Elsa. "Goodnight."

"Night."

Several minutes of silence passed, and Elsa was on the border of sleep when Anna's voice shook her from it.

"Elsa?"

"Mm?"

Anna rolled over again, this time so she was facing her sister. "It's kind of cold tonight. Do you think..." She bit her lip nervously. "Do you think we could sleep together? I mean, in the same bed. If you don't mind."

Elsa's eyes shot open. "What?" she asked, more out of surprise than a lack of comprehension.

Anna quickly turned away. "Don't worry, it was a silly idea."

"No, it's fine, Anna." Elsa lifted her blanket, inviting Anna to climb under it. The princess scooted out of her bed and got into Elsa's, snuggling close to her sister, shivering slightly. It was the first time they had been in the same bed since the night after Anna had arrived, when she had regained consciousness. Elsa gently wrapped her arm around her sister, and they both let out a small sigh of contentment, albeit for very different reasons.

"Elsa?"

"Yes?"

Anna tilted her head up, and crystal blue met teal. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving my life. On the fjord, when Hans..." She stopped at the mention of his name. "When you pushed me out of the way. I guess I owe you one, huh?" she said with a small giggle.

The sound of Anna's laughter sent Elsa's heart soaring. "Anna, you don't owe me anything. When we were children, before all this, you saved my life every single day."

Anna propped herself up on her elbow, staring at Elsa with a mix of concern and curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Elsa leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Anna's forehead, lingering there for a moment before pulling away. "Maybe I'll tell you one day." she repeated with a mischievous smile. "But not today."

Anna playfully swatted at her sister's arm, then laid her head back down on her shoulder. "Fine, be like that."

"I plan to be."

Anna sighed. "Goodnight Elsa."

"Goodnight."

"I love you."

Those words never failed to send shivers down Elsa's spine. "I love you too, Anna."

_More than you'll ever know._

* * *

**a/n: As I have previously stated, I am atrocious when it comes to writing emotional, feel-y stuff. I had to re-write this chapter twice because I wasn't happy with it, so this is the best of the bunch. If it's terrible, pretty please don't skin me alive. **

**Also go check out Ravager Zero and their amazing story "An arm and a leg". **

**And as always, leave a review. Please? **

**Thanks to every single one of my followers and favoriters,  
**

**Cheesepuffs.**


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